Pepperoni topped Americans' list of favorite pizza toppings, while anchovies rank first on the list of least favorite toppings, according to a recent Harris Poll. The Harris Poll surveyed 2,193 U.S. adults online between Jan. 13-18.
Pepperoni is not the only thing Americans like to put on their pies. The top 10 pizza toppings, according to the poll, were:
- Pepperoni
- Sausage
- Mushrooms
- Cheese pizza
- Onions
- Olives
- Bacon
- Ham/Canadian bacon, which tied with pineapple
- Peppers
When it comes to crust style, there's no majority rule though 29 percent prefer thin crust. Adults also turn to regular crust (18 percent), deep dish (15 percent), and stuffed crust (14 percent). Fewer than one in ten prefers thick crust (nine percent), French bread (four percent) or Sicilian crust (three percent).
According to the poll, generation appears to play a factor in preferred crust style: Millennials don't just want toppings on their pizza; they want it in their pizza. Stuffed crust is the No. 1 pick for this group, while all other generations default to thin crust as their top choice. Six percent say they really have no preference when it comes to crust type. Meanwhile a two percent of adults may be missing out on all the goodness as they say they don't eat pizza at all.
Anchovies rank No. 1 as America's least favorite pizza topping. The 10 least favorite pizza toppings are:
- Anchovies
- Mushrooms
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Olives
- Pepperoni
- Peppers
- Sausage
- Meat
- Plain cheese
New York and Illinois top the list of states with the best pizza, with California landing in the No. 3 spot. The rankings change when looking across the regions:
- Easterners stick to the East coast through and through. New York is No. 1, followed by Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
- Dwellers in the Midwest maintain Illinois as the best, while they settle for New York as second. Ohio and Michigan tie for third place.
- Those in the South jump all over the map, from New York at No. 1, to Illinois in second, with Texas taking spot number three.
- Westerners stick to their roots, with California in the No. 1 spot; New York and Illinois round out their top three.
Among those who drink alcohol at least a few times a year, a majority say their preferred adult beverage to wash down a slice is a nice, cold beer (54 percent). More specifically, non-craft domestic beer is No. 1 (29 percent), followed closely by craft beer (24 percent) and import beer (23 percent).
Two out of 10 (20 percent) say they're most likely to pick up a glass of wine, while imbibers are less likely to turn to flavored malt beverages (nine percent), liquor or cocktails (nine percent), or hard cider (eight percent). However, two in ten (21 percent) say skipping the alcohol altogether is the way to go.
And while beer may be the No. 1 choice across each region, Westerners are more likely to turn to wine compared to any other region (30 percent versus 16 percent in the South, 15 percent in the Midwest and 18 percent in the East).