At Sharpe we spend a great deal of time studying the charitable giving preferences by generation. From our extensive data in the Sharpe KnowledgeBase®, we have evidence that age can play as much a part in gift decisions as wealth.
But if you read my August letter, you can see I have ice cream on the brain. So, I thought it would be interesting to ask Microsoft CoPilot what each generation’s most popular ice cream flavors are (which, as it turns out, include plain old vanilla—we see you, August!).
See if you agree with the results or have thoughts of your own:
Ice Cream Preferences By Generation (U.S. consumers)*
Rank | Gen Z | Millennials | Gen X | Baby Boomers |
1 | Chocolate | Chocolate | Chocolate | Chocolate |
2 | Cookies & Cream/Oreo | Cookies & Cream/Oreo | Butter Pecan | Butter Pecan |
3 | Vanilla | Vanilla | Vanilla | Vanilla |
4 | Butter Pecan | Butter Pecan | Cookies & Cream/Oreo | Caramel/Salted Caramel |
5 | Caramel/Salted Caramel | Caramel/Salted Caramel | Caramel/Salted Caramel | Cookies & Cream/Oreo |
*From the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) national survey of more than 2,200 U.S. adults conducted with Morning Consult. [idfa.org], [dairyherd.com]
Key age-related trends
- Baby Boomers are the strongest fans of traditional flavors such as Butter Pecan, Vanilla and Caramel.
- Gen X shows a stronger preference for Butter Pecan, elevating it above Cookies & Cream.
- Millennials have preferences similar to Gen Z, with strong interest in Cookies & Cream and indulgent flavors.
- Gen Z tends to favor mix-in flavors such as Cookies & Cream/Oreo more than older generations.
