Area 



Blrm1 ngham 

 Boston 

 Detroit 

 Orangeburg County 



Number of Intervjevs 



585 

 553 

 609 

 200 



The interviewing phase of this study 

 was carried out between March 13, 1959 smi 

 May k, 1959- 



Specifically, the survey was designed 

 to elicit detailed answers to such ques- 

 tions as : why consusers decided to buy 

 or not to buy certain canned fishery items; 

 irtiether or not shoppers for canned fish and 

 shellfish were motivated by advertisements 

 or labels; the influence of income on buy- 

 ing habits and other marketing factors. 

 Then there were the how-many-people -do -what 

 questions to find out consvmiers' prefer- 

 ences for size of can; type of package; 

 kind of oil in ^rtiich fish sure canned; 

 color; textvire; and other characteristics 

 of canned fishery products. 



CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR CANNED SALMON 1/ 

 Use of Canned Salmon 



Salmon is the second most popular 

 canned fish among constuoers in Boston and 

 Detroit, but in Birmingham salmon and tuna 

 are about equal in consumer esteem. In 

 Boston, only 17 percent of all respondents 

 in the survey indicated that they liked 

 salmon best; ^ percent named tuna. In 

 Detroit, 27 percent like salmon best; kj 

 percent preferred tuna. In Birmingham, 

 salmon and tuna tied for the first place 

 with k2 percent each. Canned shrimp and 

 sardines trailed feu: behind salmon and tuna 

 in order of consximer preference in all 

 three cities. 



With regard tc actual use, the survey 

 revealed that 13 percent of all households 

 in Birmingham, 26 percent in Detroit, and 

 U2 percent in Boston had not used canned 

 salmon in the 12 months prior to the inter- 

 view. For purposes of statistical analysis, 



these households were classified as "never 

 users" of canned salmon. Of those who had 

 used canned salmon in the 12 months prior 

 to the interview, 61; percent in Birmingham, 

 5? percent in Detroit, and k3 percent in 

 Boston had used it in the h weeks immedi - 

 ately prior to the interview . These latter 

 households were classified as "salmon 

 users ." Those who had used canned salmon 

 in the past 12 months but not within the 

 past four weeks were termed "sporadic 

 users . " 



Percentage of 

 respondent* 



60 r- 



50 

 kO 

 30 

 20 - 

 10 - 



{■■■■■* 



1/ Tables containing data referred to in 

 this section are given on pages 13-30 and 

 an explanation of the tables on page 11. 



Birmingham Boston Ottrolt 



t:::-:!:! salmon I I tima 



FIGURE I. —CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR 

 CANNED SAMON, CANNED TUNA 



The salmon users were further divided 

 Into light and heavy user groups. The 

 "light users" are defined as those who 

 used scQmon one or two times in the four 

 weeks Immediately prior to the interview 

 and the "heavy users" as those who had 

 served it three times or more in that 

 period. The distribution of these user 

 groups in the three cities Is summarized 

 in the following table. (Note: the 

 reader should keep in mind while reading 

 the following text and tables that "salmon 

 users" are by definition all respondents 

 representing households who had used 



