State of Generation Z Snackers

Salty snacks like potato chips are by far the most popular snack that Generation Z consumes. Surprisingly, produce (fruits and veggies) comes in second, with the majority of Gen Z-ers (57.3%) choosing it regularly or occasionally as a snack. Dairy products like yogurt, cheese and ice cream are the third most popular snack type among Gen Z.

Wondering what Generation Z’s favorite brands are across snack categories? The winners for each snack category are: Lay’s (salty snacks), Cheez-Its (crackers), Kit-Kats (chocolate), Nature Valley (snack bar), Oreo (cookie), Sour Patch Kids (candy) and Little Debbie (snack cake). The overall snack brands most loved by Generation Z are overwhelmingly salty: (1) Lay’s, (2) Doritos, (3) Cheetos, (4) Pringles.

When we asked Generation Z to name the first thing that comes to mind when they think of snacking, the most common word by far was “chips” (27.8%), more than “food” (17.3%) and “eating” (12.0%). Maybe it’s due to the distinctive crunch of chips. Studies show that people inherently associate the crunch sound with freshness, making chips that much more appetizing, not to mention addictive.

Generation Z is often categorized as a demographic that skips traditional meals, opting instead for continuous snacking throughout the day. However, our study found that employed Gen Z-ers are 2x less likely to regularly replace lunch with snacking, compared with unemployed Gen Z-ers. For unemployed Gen Z-ers, snacking is an accessible, affordable, and satisfying alternative.

When it comes to the underlying motivations behind snacking, females 18 and younger make up the biggest portion of emotional snackers. 41.9% of females 18 and under confess that they snack to help deal with anxiety, stress and sadness (compared to 31.1% of males their age and 36.2% of females over 18). 

Our survey found that 1 out of 4 Gen Z-ers think it’s important that snack brands have environmentally friendly and socially responsible values. We also found a strong correlation between environmental and health values. Eco-conscious Gen Z-ers are 2.1x more likely to rank health as an important factor in the snacks they choose, compared with Gen Z-ers who do not rank eco-friendly values in snack brands.

Compared to their younger peers, Gen Z-ers ages 22-24 years old are 21% more likely to snack due to a craving, 39% more likely to snack out of convenience, and 16% more likely to snack for the extra caloric energy boost. In short, older Gen Z-ers are more likely to snack due to the 3 C’s: cravings, convenience and calories.

In taste rankings of salty and sweet snacks, Lay’s and Skittles stood out as brands containing intense flavoring. Our survey found that snackers who love both extremely sweet and extremely salty brands are mostly younger (13-15 years old), and compared to the average Gen Z snacker, these snackers are 1.9x more likely to snack 3 times or more a day and 1.3X more likely to snack without any dietary restrictions.

DIY cooking videos, those ubiquitous bird’s-eye view cooking videos made popular by Buzzfeed’s Tasty, are especially popular among Hispanic female Gen Z-ers. Compared to the overall Gen Z audience, Hispanic females are 35% more likely to regularly watch these videos, presenting strategic partnership opportunities for brands wishing to target this demographic.

Our survey measured Gen Z sentiment of 80+ snack brands, resulting in thousands of data points of snack brand preferences. Using our analytics tool, we uncovered many strong cross-brand pairing preferences which may help snack brands discover significant bundling and partnership opportunities. For example, consumers who prefer Quaker granola bars are more likely to prefer Sara Lee snack cakes.