McDonald’s is the only cultural institution holding our otherwise tender union together.
That’s one of the many key insights from a recent Attain analysis of consumption trends for American consumers in red, blue and purple states. The report shows that, even in these fractious times of ours, there is more that unites us than divides us — specifically our shared love for McNuggets, caffeine and high fructose corn syrup.
Across all states, Americans over-indexed on buying McDonald’s, Mountain Dew and Sprite. Both red and blue states over-indexed on Red Bull and Fanta drinks, as well, and under-indexed on Diet Coke and Pepsi.
The results of the study reveal some fascinating insights about McDonald’s, Pepsi and Coke, three brands synonymous with American consumer culture. The two main cola brands, whose marketing aesthetics often depict an idealized version of middle-class American life, have seemingly fallen out of favor with the average American partisan voter. In the cola election, red and blue voters have opted for third-party candidates Mountain Dew and Sprite.
McDonald’s, arguably the single most significant cultural and commercial export in American history, remains a bedrock of American culture. Everyone eats there, regardless of political affiliation.
To conduct the study, Attain, a purchase data platform, analyzed the shopping habits of Americans from January 2020 to August 2024 (coincidentally, the entirety of President Joe Biden’s current term in office). The data was parsed on a state-by-state basis, and Attain analysts used publicly available election results data to identify states that traditionally vote Republican or Democrats in presidential elections. The analysis also identified several purple states, ones that have flipped between Republican and Democrats in recent elections.
Shoppers in blue and purple states over-indexed on Dr Pepper and Doritos, while red and purple voters over-indexed on Nike purchases.
It seems fitting that McDonald’s is our nation’s most populist institution. Eating burgers and milkshakes from a fast food drive-thru is a distinctly American convention, and McDonald’s perfected the practice. The restaurant began as a humble family shop in Southern California, was acquired by an enterprising traveling salesman in a hostile takeover, spread all across the country and, later, the entire world — a testament to American entrepreneurialism and cultural dominance.
In a time of extreme distrust of political and cultural institutions, Americans can count on one thing: that their Big Mac sauce will always be special and that the soft serve ice cream machine will never work.
