There are certain big issues facing Australian society that require research, understanding, analysis and commentary. Issues that open a window to the complex dynamic of the wide and diverse Australian community.

At Kellogg’s we are not afraid to tackle these big issues head on. For us, there is, and always has been, a burning issue we have wanted to better understand.

Do Aussies prefer their cereal crunchy or soggy? What drives their preference and what on earth is this new trend to replace milk with yoghurt and orange juice?

Finally we have some real stats to back up our breakfast table hunches. The numbers are in. While Aussies are unified by the nutritional benefits they want most from breakfast (fibre, protein and calcium), they are divided in how they like to eat their cereal and milk¹.

Seven in 10 Australians prefer to eat their Corn Flakes (or their preferred cereal) crunchy, as opposed to soggy, a new Galaxy research poll has revealed. More men than women like it soggy and the soggiest states in Australia are Tasmania and Victoria – could it have something to do with the weather?

Leading showbiz identity and cereal lover Rob “Millsy” Mills has been uncovered as one of Australia’s leading advocates for a crunchy cereal lifestyle.

“Cereal was compulsory on the breakfast table growing up and mum used to refer to me and my two brothers as ‘Snap, Crackle and Pop’. I’m a die-hard ‘crunchy’ cereal eater. And yes I was Crackle in the trio – my brothers were Snap and Pop. To be honest – I think I should have been Pop.”

Millsy admits that he finds it difficult to be sitting with a person who lets their cereal get soggy.

“I get a bit anxious and try to hurry them up – the crunch is the whole key to a great cereal experience.”

The new research also revealed a new category for the emerging number of Aussies who love to eat their cereal with yoghurt and maybe juice, aptly titled ‘scrunchy’ eaters.

We’ve commissioned a leading public relations firm (seriously, why not?) to use their unique insight and consumer modelling pie charts, to ascertain personality profiles of the different types of cereal consumers. Sure, it’s a sweeping, non-scientific generalisation but hey, they are in PR ...

“Crunchy” eaters are the highly motivated, high achievers of Australia.

“Soggy” eaters are the dreamers, the thinkers and the university students of Australia.

“Scrunchy” eaters are the holistic life coaches, architects and personal trainers of Australia.

Victorians and Tasmanians are flying the flag for soggy cereal eaters with the largest proportion of people who leave their cereal soaking in milk for more than five minutes, while NSW, SA and WA are the most crunchy states. Queenslanders, unusually for them, are somewhere in the middle – neither particularly crunchy or soggy. Perhaps more research is needed to separate the tropics from SouthEast Queensland.

There is some speculation that the high humidity in tropical Far North Queensland brings sogginess much quicker than in the cooler parts of the country.

Kellogg’s is considering more high level scientific research into this phenomenon but is awaiting a high brow university to come on board before commencing the work.

Survey snapshot:

State by State

• NSW, SA and WA residents prefer to eat their cereal crunchy
• There are significantly more soggy cereal eaters in Vic & Tas (35% versus 27% nationally)
• Soggy cereal eaters in Vic & Tas take it very seriously, with the greatest proportion of people who leave their cereal in milk for more than five minutes

The Gender Divide

• 80% of Aussie women like to eat their cereal crunchy
• Aussie males are 50% more likely than females to eat their cereal soggy

Crunchy v Soggy

• 73% of Aussie adults eat their cereal crunchy
• 27% of Aussie adults prefer to eat their cereal soggy
• Those people who eat cereal everyday are more likely to eat it soggy
• Average time people leave their cereal in milk is one minute
• More than 50% of people leave their cereal in milk for less than 30 seconds

How do you take your cereal – completely crunchy or perfectly soggy? Weigh in on the great cereal debate and tweet us at #cerealdebate @Kelloggs_AU.

¹ Kellogg’s Australian adults breakfast habits, March 2014 (Galaxy) [All statistics referenced in this document]