How family recipes bring people together at Thanksgiving

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

OVER HALF OF AMERICANS HAVE A THANKSGIVING RECIPE THAT’S BEEN PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION WITHIN THEIR FAMILY.

THAT’S ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH FROM JENNIE-O, WHICH ALSO FOUND THAT MORE THAN HALF SAID THAT RECIPE IS MORE THAN 25 YEARS OLD. 

THE SURVEY ASKED PEOPLE FROM ACROSS ALL 50 STATES ABOUT THESE RECIPES – AND THEIR DIVERSE CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS –  TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MAKES THANKSGIVING TABLES ACROSS THE COUNTRY UNIQUE.

PEOPLE WHO IDENTIFIED AS BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN, AS WELL AS HISPANIC OR LATINO, WERE MORE LIKELY TO SAY IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THEIR CULTURE AND HERITAGE REPRESENTED ON THEIR THANKSGIVING TABLE — 73% AND 71%, RESPECTIVELY.

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH, THE SURVEY FOUND THE AVERAGE FEAST HAS FIVE DIFFERENT MAIN DISHES, INCLUDING THE USUAL STAPLES: TURKEY (93%) AND HAM (55%). 

THOSE IN CONNECTICUT ARE MOST LIKELY TO FEATURE A BAKED PASTA DISH (36%), WHILE ONE IN 10 OF THOSE IN NEW MEXICO (11%) HAVE CARNE ASADA ON THEIR TABLE.

AHEAD OF THANKSGIVING, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! WHAT WILL BE ON YOUR TABLE THIS YEAR? LET US KNOW!

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 5,000 state-by-state U.S. adults (100 in each state) with targeted quotas to achieve statistical significance for European, Hispanic, Asian, and African American households; the survey was commissioned by Jennie-O and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 1 and Oct. 10, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.