Interest in Sardine - 

 Paste Spread 



Sixty-three percent of the sardine 

 users in both Boston and Detroit said that 

 they would not use sardines that had been 

 processed into a paste spread. The com- 

 parable percentage for Birmingham was 37 

 percent. In all three cities, the most 

 frequently mentioned use for such a spread 

 was on crackers. 



Recipe Sources 



Approximately 8 out of 10 of the 

 sardine users in all three cities could not 

 name their sources of sewdine recipes. The 

 most frequently-named soxirce of infonnation 

 was "friends," but even this source was 

 mentioned by no more than 10 percent in 

 any of the three cities. 



Ordering Sardines 

 In Public Eating Places 



The great majority of sardine users — 

 more than 95 percent in each city- -had not 

 ordered sardines in a public eating place 

 during the two months prior to the inter- 

 view. Similarly high percentages of the 

 respondents in the user group indicated 

 that no one eating with them had ordered 

 sardines in the same period. 



Reasons for Not Using or 

 Seldom Using Canned Sardines 



/"Motivational research tech- 

 niques- -the open question and the 

 probe- -were used to great advan- 

 tage when the siirvey sought the 

 reasons for not using, seldom 

 using, or discontinuing the use 

 of canned sardines./ 



The "never users" (those who had not 

 used sardines in the past 12 months) were 

 asked if there was any special reason why 

 they had not served sardines. By far the 

 most frequently mentioned reasons were 

 those associated with the lack of appeal 

 to the senses--taste, smell, and appearance. 

 Also "too oily" was mentioned as a reason 

 by 35 percent in Boston, 20 percent in 

 Detroit, but only 11 percent in Birmingham. 



sardines in the past. Approximately 

 60 percent of these "past users" had 

 served sardines within the last h years. 

 The respondents in this group said they 

 had stopped using canned sardines because 

 they did not like the product's taste or 

 smell; the respondent's husband or chil- 

 dren did not eat sardines; the family was 

 reduced in size; or for health or diet 

 reasons . 



The leading reasons given by the 

 "sporadic users" (those who had seirved 

 saurdines in the past 12 months, but not in 

 the past k weeks) for using canned sardines 

 so seldom slIso referred primarily to a lack 

 of sense appeal either to the homemaker or 

 to other members of these families. Approx- 

 imately one-fifth of the "sporadic users" in 

 Birmingham and one-fourth in both Boston 

 and Detroit said they only used sau^dines 

 for snacks or on picnics. Twenty-one per- 

 cent of the "sporadic users" in Boston, 28 

 percent in Itetroit, and kl percent in 

 Birmingham said they had used sardines 

 more often in the past. A reduction in 

 the size of the family and heeLLth or diet 

 reasons were most frequently mentioned as 

 motives for the less frequent use of the 

 product . 



Nearly 60 percent of the sardine non- 

 users ("never users" and "sporadic users" 

 combined) in Birmingham and Detroit re- 

 ported that at least one member of the 

 household liked sardines. 



Canned Sardine Advertising 



About 80 percent of all respondents 

 in Birmingham said they had not seen or 

 heard any advertising for canned sardines. 

 The comparable proportions for Boston and 

 Detroit were 87 percent and 88 percent, 

 respectively. 



Among those who had been exposed to 

 canned sardine advertising, newspapers were 

 reported most frequently as the source by 

 respondents in Birmingham and Detroit. 

 Newspapers and magazines were mentioned as 

 sources by approximately the same propor- 

 tions of the respondents in Boston. 



Less them k out of 10 of the "never 

 users" in each of the three cities had used 



