Survey Reveals Just How Often Moms and Dads Bribe and Reward their Children with Ice Cream, as well as the Role Ice Cream Plays in Bringing Families Together
Baskin-Robbins, the world’s largest chain of specialty ice cream shops, has announced the findings of its newest survey* just in time for Mother’s Day, which showcase the different ways moms and dads use ice cream for parenting, how they enjoy ice cream differently, and how ice cream plays a role in family time.
The survey unveiled many interesting findings, including the following:
- Moms reward their children with ice cream more than dads – Moms (66 percent) are more likely than dads (58 percent) to treat their child to ice cream as a reward for doing something good
- Ice cream is a great incentive – Two-thirds of parents use ice cream to incentivize their child to do something they don’t enjoy doing, but dads are 65 percent more likely than moms to use ice cream as an incentive for children to do their chores
- Ice cream is children’s favorite treat – 62 percent of parents say ice cream is their child’s favorite treat, with chocolate as a distant second at 20 percent
- Ice cream brings people together – 96 percent of parents say ice cream is a great treat to enjoy with friends and family, and 90 percent of parents have fond memories of their own parents treating them to ice cream as a child
- Ice cream as a peacemaker – More than half of parents (54 percent) have used ice cream to resolve a conflict, but dads (77 percent) are more than twice as likely to do so than moms (30 percent)
- Dads eat ice cream more frequently than moms – 72 percent of dads eat ice cream on a weekly basis, while only 54 percent of moms indulge in this sweet treat weekly
- Ice cream as a quiet escape – Moms are five times more likely than dads to say they prefer to eat ice cream alone
“With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day approaching, it’s interesting to see the different ways ice cream plays a role in the parenting techniques of moms and dads,” said Carol Austin, Vice President of Marketing for Baskin-Robbins. “We are always looking to spark connections among our guests, so we love to see that ice cream helps bring families together in so many different ways.”
Baskin-Robbins is excited to celebrate all moms this Mother’s Day with two festive ice cream cake options. The new Polka Dot Cake is the perfect way to show mom how much she is loved in a classic, but contemporary way, while the returning Elegant Rosette Cake features a cascading bouquet of flowers. Both cakes are fully customizable with mom’s favorite ice cream flavor and white or chocolate cake, and can be ordered both in-store and online at www.baskinrobbins.com/onlineordering.
For dads, the returning Cold One Cake and a new OREO® Ganache Cake will make the perfect addition to Father’s Day celebrations next month.
Additionally, Baskin-Robbins’ May Flavor of the Month, Mom’s Makin’ Cookies™, is the perfect way for mom to take a moment for herself and indulge with a scoop. This returning favorite features mom’s secret recipe of brown-sugar-flavored ice cream filled with chocolate chip cookie pieces, chocolate-flavored chips, and a delicious cookie-dough-battered flavored ribbon.
*Survey Methodology: This online survey was conducted on April 20, 2017 through April 27, 2017 among a representative sample of 1,000 parents of children between the ages of 2 and 12 years old by Toluna, an independent research provider, under the guidance of RF|Binder’s research team. The results are nationally representative according to the U.S. Census Bureau statistics to accurately reflect the gender, age and region of the U.S. general population.
For more information, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com.
