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HealthSaver commissioned a survey to ask the question: “When it comes to caffeine, which American city wins?”
Okay, well, no, it wasn’t exactly phrased like that, you understand. They were trying to find out which city is the most caffeinated. I don’t think there was, you know, a trophy or anything involved. Maybe there should be. If there was, then we would definitely need to know so we could gear up for next year.
[ad#longpost]Anyway. The most caffeinated city is Chicago. The least caffeinated city is San Francisco and Oakland. And considering how much it costs to live in San Fran (and New York City, which was also on the list), I’m surprised anybody there can afford caffeine once they get done paying the rent. So.
As for you folks in Seattle, calm down for a second. The survey covered everything caffeine, “including coffee, tea, sodas, energy drinks, chocolate, pain relievers and caffeine pills.” (A list from which I have sampled every category in the last twenty-four hours. How sad is that?) However, if you take just coffee, then you guys win. “58 percent of residents surveyed saying this elixir of alertness would be the most difficult caffeine product to give up.” You damn skippy.
The full list of cities they surveyed is below, along with a bunch of other rankings. So if your town isn’t listed, then, I dunno, lobby to be included next year. And Atlanta. Fifth place? What’s up with that? I live here and we’re in fifth place? That means if I moved away you might drop out of the running, just based on my consumption alone. Get with it, folks.
The HealthSaver 2007 Caffeinated Cities Survey, released today, was conducted to determine the caffeine consumption habits and attitudes of consumers across the U.S., and to learn more about cultural views and health benefits of this morning pick-me-up, afternoon alert booster and late-night indulgence.
The health benefits of caffeine are plentiful and well-documented in numerous studies in recent years. Coffee and tea, in particular, have emerged as good health food sources that can lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, and cirrhosis of the liver, as well as lift your mood, treat headaches and even lower risk of cavities. Caffeine also enhances athleticism, endurance and performance, according to health care experts. (Widge’s note: See? SEE?)
Here’s the buzz on the most and least wired cities:
Most Caffeinated Cities:
1. Chicago
2. Tampa
3. Miami
4. Phoenix
5. Atlanta
Least Caffeinated Cities:
1. San Francisco/Oakland
2. Philadelphia
3. New York
4. Detroit
5. Baltimore
Other cities surveyed include Houston, Boston, St. Louis, Seattle, Los Angeles, Riverside, Calif., Washington, D.C., San Diego, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Dallas/Ft Worth.
“This survey is an eye-opening study into the daily habits of thousands of Americans, and provides keen insight into consumption of many of our favorite products,” said Brad Eggleston, vice president of HealthSaver. “This groundbreaking research is an important tool to help educate about the health benefits of moderate caffeine consumption in the United States.”
One-half of all respondents nationwide said they drink caffeinated coffee every day, while caffeinated cola was next with a 21 percent daily consumption rate. Sweets containing chocolate and caffeinated teas are also very popular, the survey found.
Some survey findings:
Most Coffee Consumption, Regular coffee & specialty coffee drinks:
1. Seattle/Tacoma
2. Boston
3. Houston
4. Chicago
5. Miami
Least Coffee Consumption, Regular coffee & speciality coffee drinks:
1. Dallas/Ft. Worth
2. New York
3. St. Louis
4. Atlanta
5. Philadelphia
Most Cola Consumption (Regular Coke, regular Pepsi, Mountain Dew):
1. Chicago
2. Dallas/Ft. Worth
3. St. Louis
4. Atlanta (Widge’s note: Um, guys–Coke is based here for crying out loud!)
5. Tampa
Least Cola Consumption (Regular Coke, regular Pepsi, Mountain Dew)
1. Philadelphia
2. New York
3. Miami
4. Seattle/Tacoma (Widge’s note: Of course–they’re Seattle. They’re too busy drinking coffee, bless ’em.)
5. San Francisco/Oakland
Most Tea Consumption (Green tea, iced tea, black tea):
1. Miami
2. Tampa
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Philadelphia
5. Atlanta
Least Tea Consumption (Green tea, iced tea, black tea):
1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. Detroit
3. San Francisco/Oakland
4. Seattle/Tacoma
5. Boston
Most Chocolate Consumption (Candy, ice cream, cake, cookies):
1. Chicago
2. Atlanta
3. Minneapolis/St. Paul
4. Phoenix
5. St. Louis
Least Chocolate Consumption (Candy, ice cream, cake, cookies):
1. Los Angeles
2. Riverside/San Bernardino
3. Houston
4. Miami
5. Dallas/Ft. Worth
Most Energy Drink Consumption (Red Bull, etc.):
1. Riverside/San Bernardino
2. Los Angeles
3. Chicago
4. Miami
5. New York
Least Energy Drink Consumption (Red Bull, etc.):
1. Philadelphia
2. San Francisco/Oakland
3. Houston
4. Dallas/Ft. Worth
5. Boston
Cities Most Likely To Say Caffeine Is Good For You:
1. Seattle/Tacoma
2. Chicago
3. Miami
4. San Diego
5. Boston
Cities Most Likely to Say Caffeine is Bad For You:
1. Los Angeles
2. Riverside/San Bernardino
3. San Francisco/Oakland
4. New York
5. Atlanta
Cities Most Addicted To Caffeine:
1. Boston
2. Minneapolis
3. San Diego
4. Chicago
5. Atlanta
Cities Least Addicted to Caffeine:
1. New York
2. Philadelphia
3. Miami
4. Houston
5. Tampa
Consumers tipped their coffee cups on a variety of caffeine-related trends:
— Nearly one-half of all respondents (44 percent) said coffee would be the hardest to give up.
— Men are slightly more likely than women (47 percent vs. 42 percent) to say coffee would be the hardest to give up.
— Overall 71 percent of all respondents said they are not addicted to caffeine.
— Among age groups, the older the group, the more likely they are to say coffee would be the most difficult caffeinated product to give up.
Other key findings of the study:
— Women are more likely than men to say they are addicted to caffeine (31 percent of women vs. 26 percent of men).
— A majority (60 percent) said they consume about the same amount of caffeine as they did a year ago.
— The younger the age group, the more likely they are to say they consume more caffeine than a year ago.
— Among respondents consuming less caffeine, 39 percent said it is because they are seeking to improve their health; and one-fourth (25 percent) of those consuming less caffeine are doing so because of a change of diet/currently on a diet plan.
— Most who said they consume more caffeine than a year ago said they do so because their everyday routine is more demanding. Another 15 percent said it was because they have more access to caffeine, and six percent said they consume more because of fatigue due to sleep problems.
— Over one-half of respondents said they are way over their ideal weight (9 percent) or over their ideal weight (54 percent). Less than one percent said they were way under their ideal weight.
Survey Methodology
Prince Market Research, an independent marketing research company, was commissioned to conduct a nationally representative telephone study with consumers in 20 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. to learn more about their use of caffeine in everyday beverages and food. All telephone calls were conducted between Aug. 1 and Sept. 18, 2007, during which period, a total of 2,035 interviews, lasting an average of five minutes, were completed. No incentive was offered and the sponsor of the research was not revealed. The margin of error is +/- 2 percent.
Source: HealthSaver
Image: Basic Instructions
Update: Energy Fiend has linked to us (thanks, chief!) and pointed out, based on these findings, the most hypocritical states when it comes to caffeine consumption.
