A Comparative Statistical Analysis of Sweet Preferences

Author: Poonam Dwivedi (61)

Introduction:

Food preferences play an important role in consumer behavior and cultural studies. Traditional Indian sweets such as Kajukatli, Gulabjamun, Rasmalai, and Laddu are widely consumed and appreciated across regions. However, individual preferences may vary based on taste, texture, and personal liking. Statistical analysis helps in identifying whether these differences in ratings are significant or simply due to random variation.

This study evaluates the ratings of selected sweets to understand differences in consumer preferences.

Objective:

To analyze the ratings of four sweets using One-Way ANOVA in order to determine whether significant differences exist among them.

Literature Review:

Consumer Preference and Food Choice Behavior

Previous studies suggest that food preferences are influenced by sensory attributes such as taste, texture, and appearance. Researchers highlight that traditional sweets often receive varied ratings due to cultural familiarity and individual taste differences.

Application of Statistical Techniques in Food Studies

Studies in food science emphasize the use of statistical tools like ANOVA to compare multiple food items simultaneously. It allows researchers to determine whether observed differences in ratings are statistically significant, rather than due to chance.

Data Collection:

The data was collected through a Google Form survey.
A total of 30 responses were recorded. Participants rated four sweets—Kajukatli, Gulabjamun, Rasmalai, and Laddu—on a scale of 1 to 10.

Data Analysis:

Summary

SUMMARY
Groups	Count	Sum	Average	Variance
Kajukatli	30	283	9.433333	1.288506
Gulabjamun	30	252	8.4	3.282759
Rasmalai	30	263	8.766667	2.185057
Laddu	30	201	6.7	5.182759


ANOVA
Source of Variation	SS	df	MS	F	P-value	F crit
Between Groups	122.0917	3	40.69722	13.63496	1.11E-07	2.682809
Within Groups	346.2333	116	2.98477

Total	468.325	119

Hypotheses

H₀: Kajukatli = Gulabjamun = Rasmalai = Laddu
H₁: At least one sweet has a different mean rating

Conclusion:

As calculated, F (13.63) > F crit (2.68)
and p-value (1.11 × 10⁻⁷ < 0.05)

Therefore, we reject H₀ and accept H₁

This indicates that there is a significant difference in the average ratings of the sweets.

Kajukatli is most preferred (Mean = 9.43)
Laddu is least preferred (Mean = 6.70)

References:

Singh, S. (2011). Consumer preference and performance analysis.
Kumar, P., & Nagorao, C. G. (2022). Statistical modeling techniques in comparative studies.