(Image source: Delta Dental Plans Association.)

In an example of how insurers can use analytics for gaining crucial insights, the Delta Dental Plans Association (Oak Brook, Ill.) has published the results of its 2016 Thanksgiving Pie Ranking Report. Pumpkin once again reigns supreme as America’s favorite Thanksgiving dessert, beating out other traditional pies by a wide margin. Favorability of pumpkin pie hovers around 36 percent with American adults, more than double that of American’s next favorite Thanksgiving pie, pecan (15 percent), according to the insurer.

Delta Dental reports that the least popular options in the second annual pie ranking were lemon meringue (4 percent), blueberry (4 percent) and strawberry (2 percent).

The Pie Ranking revealed important geographic and demographic trends in customer preferences, including the following key findings:

• Pumpkin pie is most popular in the West (46 percent) and least popular in the South (30 percent). Additionally, 39 percent of Midwesterners prefer it, and 33 percent of Northeasterners.
• America’s second (pecan) and third (apple) favorites, find the highest favorability with Gen-Xers (pecan: 19 percent and apple: 16 percent).
• Pumpkin pie is most popular with Boomers (42 percent) and Seniors (47 percent) vs. their Millennial (32 percent) and Gen-Xer (30 percent) counterparts.

The Delta Dental Plans Association Fall 2016 Survey conducted the survey between October 18 and October 25, 2016 among a nationally representative sample of 1,009 Americans 18+. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent.