New Curion Research Reveals How Americans Feel about Peeps – Love Them or Hate Them, They Are Not Going Anywhere
Research Divulges How Nostalgia, Tradition, and Polarization Fuel One of America’s Most Debated Seasonal Candies
Few candies in the American marketplace inspire as much passion — or as much contempt — as Peeps. Every spring, the iconic marshmallow chick resurfaces in Easter baskets, gift bags, and social media debates with remarkable staying power. Now, new consumer research curated from three separate polls conducted by Curion, one of the largest product and consumer insights companies in the United States, reveals exactly why this polarizing candy continues to thrive, and what its endurance tells us about the power of emotional branding.
A Nation Divided — Almost Evenly
A Curion Poll PULSE survey of more than 4,700 U.S. consumers focused on sentiment lays bare the Peeps paradox: nearly half of respondents report positive feelings toward the candy, while a meaningful segment remains firmly opposed. Specifically, 24.2% say they love Peeps and 23.3% say they like them — together comprising nearly half the population. On the other side, 17.4% don’t like them and 8.1% actively hate them, while 21.4% land in the middle of the road.
“Polarization is not always a liability,” said Lauren Dooley-Brand, Sr. director, strategic product insights at Curion. “For Peeps, having passionate advocates on both sides of the debate keeps the brand perpetually in the cultural conversation. That attention is extraordinarily difficult — and expensive — to manufacture artificially.”
Tradition and Nostalgia: The Real Drivers of Purchase
When Curion asked more than 8,000 consumers why they purchase Peeps, the answers went well beyond personal taste. Nearly one-third (32.9%) cited holiday tradition as their primary motivation, and 28.4% purchase them as gifting or basket fillers. Nostalgia drove 23.4% of purchases, while 25.2% buy them for family members who enjoy them.
In short, for many consumers, buying Peeps is not a matter of craving, it’s a ritual.
Credit: Zeete, Wikipedia Commons
How Americans Actually Eat Peeps
In a third separate Curion Poll PULSE survey of more than 6,200 consumers, it explored consumption behavior among those who have eaten Peeps in the past year. The results reveal a surprisingly adventurous audience. While 56.6% eat them straight from the package, a meaningful minority uses them in more creative ways: 10.8% open the package and let them harden before eating, 8.6% roast them like a marshmallow, 8.5% incorporate them into s’mores, and 6.4% microwave them.
This behavioral diversity suggests Peeps function more like a versatile seasonal ingredient for some consumers than a simple grab-and-eat snack, a dynamic that opens brand and innovation opportunities for further amplification.
What the Curion Score Reveals About Product Performance
For the Marshmallow Peep, the Curion Score analysis found a product whose sensory profile tells a nuanced story. Peeps sit at a 6.7 Overall Liking score (OAL), but the Curion Score data dives deeper past simply OAL to reflect deeper drivers of product performance. Texture is a clear strength, with consumers responding positive to the product’s airy, soft quality. However, flavor balance presents an opportunity: consumers perceive the vanilla flavor as too subtle relative to an intensity of sweetness that some find overwhelming. This imbalance likely contributes to the polarization the brand is both known for and, arguably, has learned to leverage.
The Endurance of an Icon
Peeps demonstrate a principle that consumer insights professionals know well: in a fragmented snack landscape, brands that own a feeling outperform those that merely own a function. Peeps do not compete with premium chocolate or artisanal confections. They occupy a distinct sensory and emotional space, soft texture, sugar crunch, vivid color, and deep-rooted holiday symbolism that coexists alongside more sophisticated sweets without trying to replace them.
About Curion Methodology
Curion evaluated Peeps using two of its proprietary methods: Curion Score and Curion Poll Pulse. Curion evaluated the Peeps product using its proprietary Curion Score solution, a robust product performance tool that measures consumer response across multiple sensory and emotional dimensions simultaneously, then synthesizes them into a single composite score. Unlike standard benchmarking studies that typically evaluate a handful of direct competitors, the Curion Score positions a product holistically against its broader category, providing a richer and more actionable picture of where it stands.
The Curion Poll PULSE captures real-time consumer sentiment across a nationally representative U.S. sample. The Peeps-related surveys referenced in this release were conducted in February 2026 with total respondent pools of 8,076 (purchase behavior), 6,235 (consumption behavior), and 4,752 (sentiment), respectively.
About Curion
Curion specializes in delivering impactful insights to the world’s top CPG companies, helping them develop winning, repeatedly purchased products. Curion’s deep data-driven product insights, sensory expertise, and state-of-the-art consumer centers enable them to uncover responses to critical client objectives.
With over five decades of experience in the product testing industry, Curion is dedicated to guiding clients and connecting brands to consumers at every step.
As one of the largest product and consumer insights companies in the U.S., Curion has built a reputation for excellence and trust among the world’s leading consumer brands. Curion’s commitment to innovation and expertise, coupled with a passion for delivering actionable insights, makes Curion a valuable partner for companies looking to develop and launch successful products.
