Given the chance to create the ultimate chocolate bar, an eerily familiar caramel creation tops panellists’ list
- Majority of panellists who answered our chocolate poll enjoy the sweet treat in the evening
- 84% of respondents either ‘love’ or ‘like’ chocolate
- Purple-foil-wrapped, chocolate caramel creation emerges as favourite in ‘ultimate chocolate bar’ stakes
Chocolate eating is a post-work escapist enjoyment, the chocolate consumers who took our survey have stated.
53% of our survey respondents confirmed that they tend to allocate their chocolate-devouring to an evening slot, perhaps as a reward for completing another busy day’s work.
With nearly 10,000 people taking part, our respondents’ love affair with this particular confection is undoubtedly passionate – 50% of the people we surveyed said they loved it; 34% said they ‘like’ it.
But when given free rein to design the chocolate bar of their dreams, just what shape did our respondents’ ultimate chocolate bar take? Our ShoppingLab findings may surprise you…
Inspired
We gave you the chance to create a chocolate bar to rival Willy Wonka’s creative creations.
There were three stages of ‘construction’: first, your choice of chocolate bar base; second, a possible two fillings to select from a choice of more than 40 different ingredients, including amaretto, chilli and mango, popping candy, sea salt and even black pepper; and third, a choice of a chocolate, yoghurt, coconut, or ‘no coating’ as a final flourish.
So, faced with such a cacophony of chocolatey options and the freedom to choose whatever you wanted, what chocolate emerged as the favourite among respondents? Drumroll please….
- A milk chocolate base
- A caramel centre, with no second ingredient
- And ‘no coating’
- All wrapped up in purple foil
Ladies and gentlemen of the chocolate-eating chorus, we appear to have an homage to that popular and widely-available British favourite, the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Caramel chocolate bar (although, we hasten to mention, other brands are available - such as Milka - well known in Europe and elsewhere, and also sporting a purple wrapper).
And while this is perhaps not the most inventive result we could have expected, it arguably speaks volumes in other ways.
Some very happy customers
Of our self-professed chocolate ‘lovers’ and ‘likers’, 77% said they were either ‘very’ or ‘fairly ’ satisfied with the current range of chocolate available for purchase, which may go some way to explaining why you seemed, consciously or not, drawn to an unmistakeably Cadbury’s ‘model’ of chocolate – even down to the brand’s iconic purple wrapper.
'Dairy Milk Caramel', as it is called in the UK, is known as 'Caramello' in many other countries where Cadbury is sold, including the USA.
Last year’s Cadbury takeover by American company Kraft Foods received criticism and scepticism in equal measure from those who feared that it would lead to the closure of a hallmark national brand.
Yet, judging by your chocolate creations, it seems that for the vast majority of you, your port of call for an ultimate chocolate sensation still means something famously promoted, most obviously in this country, at any rate, by the Cadbury brand.
Cocoa clashes
Comparatively, just 11% of all our respondents said they were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ dissatisfied with the chocolate selection on offer in today’s market.
Many complained that people with diet restrictions were poorly catered for, such as those with diabetes, lactose intolerance, or following a vegan diet.
Respondents also clashed over cocoa content.
On one hand, argued some disgruntled customers, the chocolate available is ‘too milky’; ‘over-sweetened’; resembles ‘buttermilk’, and is ‘cloying’.
By contrast, another claimed that there was a ‘new chocolate craze’ which favoured a higher percentage of cocoa that they found ‘dry and bitter, and of course, very expensive.’
For others, however, this dissatisfaction had nothing to do with the chocolate itself, but more what their favourite brands represent.
Speaking specifically of Cadbury, one panellist lamented, ‘I am disappointed that Cadbury was sold to the USA, and that jobs have been lost in the UK. I have avoided it ever since.’
In a chaotic world, chocolate remains a simple, yet important pleasure. The fact that whole aisles in supermarkets and high street shops are devoted to chocolate, is testament to the place it holds. Furthermore, that when it came to choosing a name for your hand-crafted chocolate bar, words such as ‘Delight’, ‘Dream’, ‘Heaven’, and even, ‘All Mine’, regularly came to mind is yet more evidence that enthusiasm for this common source of delight is far from diminishing.
With chocolate often cited as a comforting indulgence as the antidote to a difficult day, it will likely come as no surprise to chocolate-lovers that for many of our respondents, familiar is best.
Labs Method statement
YouGovLabs research is anecdotal, with polls being open to all panellists who wish to take part. In contrast to YouGov’s Public Opinion polling, YouGovLabs seeks to understand the attitudes of specific subsets of people: sports fans tell us how they feel about sports and music fans tell us how they feel about music, for example. YouGovLabs results are unweighted, and figures reported do not reflect the attitudes of the population as a whole.
