Turkey or ham? Survey settles the great Thanksgiving debates

Thanksgiving is a great time to sit around with the family and gorge on sleep-inducing turkey.

But do you prefer the white meat or dark?

Some may even lean towards ham over turkey. Do you like your mashed potatoes smooth, or lumpy?

These are the great Thanksgiving debates that a new Maru Public Opinion poll has looked to settle.

The poll found that the majority of Canadians (75 per cent) celebrate Thanksgiving, which falls on Monday, October 10 this year.

Ontarians are most likely to celebrate (88 per cent) while Quebecers are least likely (40 per cent).

Turkey was a resounding winner when it came to preferred main dish, with 58 per cent picking it over Ham, which garnered just three per cent of the vote.

A vegetarian Thanksgiving? Not very popular, with just two per cent saying they prefer a meatless feast.

White turkey meat (60 per cent) prevailed over dark meat (40 per cent). And for those with a sweet tooth, butter tarts with raisins (59 per cent) were more popular than without raisins (41 per cent).

Smooth mashed potatoes (84 per cent) also beat out lumpy (16 per cent).

Regional differences in taste (Source: Maru)

• Atlantic Canadians (54 per cent) and those living in Alberta (51 per cent) are most likely to prefer Cranberry Jelly whereas every other region has a majority who prefer Cranberry sauce
• Those living in Manitoba/Saskatchewan (69 per cent) are most likely to prefer butter tarts with raisins as opposed to without
• Those living in British Columbia (55 per cent) are the only majority among the provinces and regions to prefer a Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry sauce versus Turkey Sandwich without the sauce
• Ontarians (19 per cent) are the lot who most prefer lumpy potatoes versus smooth mashed potatoes
• Albertan’s (52 per cent) are the only majority in the entire country that choose dark Turkey meat over white
• Those living in Québec (76 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (71 per cent) are the most likely Canadians to prefer Thanksgiving dishes mixed on the plate versus enjoyed separately
• Those residing in Québec (45 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (42 per cent) are the most partial to using the term “dressing” versus the term “stuffing”
• Those living in Manitoba/Saskatchewan (37 per cent) and in Atlantic Canada (37 per cent) are the most likely to prefer Thanksgiving leftovers to the Thanksgiving meal
• Those living in Atlantic Canada (70 per cent) and British Columbia (64 per cent) are the more likely to choose Turkey as the quintessential Thanksgiving meal while those in Québec (7 per cent) are most likely to choose ham
• Across all Canadian provinces and regions, stuffing/dressing with sausage is preferred over stuffing with nuts
• Canadians are also united across the land on the combo of Butter Tarts with Raisins.
• Canadians prefer to mix Thanksgiving dishes on the plate versus enjoying them separately.

Methodology: The survey was conducted between September 15-16, 2022, among a random selection of 1,518 Canadian adults. It has an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.