Welcome to a new series on the NCP Blog, our Spotlight on States! Each month, we’ll share a new post about one of the 48 states where National Consumer Panel has members.
Let’s kick off this series with Alabama!
Alabama was admitted to the Union on Dec. 14, 1819, as the 22nd state. Montgomery has been the state capital since 1847. Alabama is bordered by Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida, along with the Gulf of Mexico in the southwestern corner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau, the estimated population of Alabama is 5,024,279, making it the 24th most populous state.
Official Alabama State Symbols
Every state has their own unique symbols, from birds to flowers to songs and more! Here are some of Alabama’s official state symbols:
– Bird: Yellowhammer
– Flower: Camellia
– Insect: Monarch Butterfly
– Vegetable: Sweet Potato
– Fruit: Blackberry
– Tree: Southern Longleaf Pine
– Reptile: Alabama Red-Bellied Turtle
– Mammal: Black Bear
Find more information about Alabama’s state symbols here.
Fun Facts about Alabama
Huntsville, the largest city in the state, is known as the rocket capital of the world and is nicknamed “Rocket City.” It is home to NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. The Apollo 11 rocket that launched astronauts to the moon was made in Alabama.
The world’s first electric trolley system was introduced in 1886 in Montgomery.
The first operational windshield wipers were invented in Alabama! Mary Anderson is credited with inventing them in 1903, according to The Fact Site.
According to CoolKidFacts, Alabama is the second-largest producer of peanuts in the United States with more than 900 farms. Around 400 million pounds of peanuts are farmed each year.
Famous people from Alabama include Nat “King” Cole, Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron, Helen Keller, Rosa Parks, and the actor Channing Tatum.
NCP Panel Members in Alabama
Want to learn more about your fellow panel members in Alabama? Here’s how our Alabama panel members answered some of our survey questions!
How long have you been a panel member?
– 32% of survey respondents have been members for 15 or more years!
– 16% have been members for less than a year.
Is the area you live rural, suburban, or urban?
– 42% live in rural areas
– 46% live in suburban areas
– 12% live in urban areas
Do you have children?
– 75% of respondents have children
– Of those, 22% have children living in their home
Shopping habits of NCP Panel Members in Alabama
Do you think peoples’ shopping habits differ based on where they live? We’re curious about this, so we asked our panel members questions about how, when, and where they shop, along with some other questions about their habits.
Here’s what our panel members in Alabama had to say about their shopping habits:
– 67% of respondents shop both online and in-store, with 30% shopping in-store only.
– 63% of respondents tend to shop at the same stores.
– 74% of respondents mostly stick to their list when shopping, but sometimes make impulse purchases.
– 64% of respondents shop alone, with another 24% shopping with a spouse or partner.
When it comes to choosing where to shop, the vast majority of Alabama panel members -86%- primarily shop at grocery stores or mass-merchandise retailers. Price, convenience, and location are the top factors that influence where people decide to shop. Most of our Alabama panel members shop 1-3 times per week.
Almost 80% of survey respondents look for ways to save money while shopping, with digital coupons and store loyalty programs being the most popular options. Other respondents shop at multiple stores, use the store sales flyer to plan their list, subscribe to store emails, and clip paper coupons.
Convenience while shopping
While ordering groceries and other items online has long been an option, the COVID-19 pandemic made delivery and pick-up a lot more common for people.
Here’s what Alabama panel members had to say about it:
– 58% never order groceries online and pick up at the store, while 32% do sometimes.
– 65% never order groceries online to be delivered, while 29% do sometimes.
We also wondered if the weather influenced a person’s choice between online and in-person shopping, but for most Alabamians, it doesn’t seem to be a factor. 37% of respondents said weather doesn’t impact their decision, with 26% saying they prefer in-person shopping regardless of the weather.
And finally: self-checkout. Some people love it, others hate it. According to our survey, 20% of respondents always choose self-checkout, with another 41% indicating they frequently choose it. 28% of respondents rarely use it, and 11% never do.
Interests of NCP panel members in Alabama
Here are a few other fun facts about Alabama panel members from our survey!
The most popular outdoor activities are hiking and walking. A few of the unique answers panel members wrote in include horseback riding, bird watching, and croquet.
We asked panelists which sports they follow, and 55% said football.
We also wanted to know: what place would you recommend to visitors in your hometown or state? Here are some of the answers we got from panel members:
– Huntsville Botanical Gardens
– U.S. Space & Rocket Center
– Gulf Shores beaches
– Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
– Vulcan statue
– Helen Keller’s birthplace
Did you learn anything new about Alabama? How do your shopping habits compare to panel members in Alabama? We hope you enjoyed this first post in our new series. Stay tuned for the next one!
Blog comment reminder: If you have a panel-related issue that you need assistance with such as a problem with scanning or your rewards, please contact our Panel Support Center directly and they will be happy to assist you! You can reach them at 1-800-962-6700 or email them at [email protected]. You can send a message from NCP’s Facebook page. Please don’t enter panel-related issues or share any personal panel membership information in the blog comment section. Any issues will be addressed faster if you contact our support center directly. Thank you so much!
That’s was a great blog! Really enjoyed all the facts/stats. Can’t wait for the next one!
I absolutely loved this blog! Very interesting and entertaining to read. My favorite part was the fun facts and interests of people in Alabama. I wish there was more covered in this section because it was fun to read. I look forward to reading about Colorado and all the other states. Thank you for providing this fun piece!
I do live in the deep south of Alabama, and I learned only 55% of people are football fans. I would have guessed it would be 100%. In Alabama, you are either an Alabama fan or an Auburn fan. It’s always one or the other. Shopping habits are right on the nose.
A couple of facts about Alabama I did not know. Thanks! Enjoyable read.
A lot the same as I, here in Iowa. I can’t wait to read Iowa’s!
This was a great idea!
To whom it may concern I find the blog very interesting I don’t think we’re no different we are all the same a lot of people in the South Carolina area shop the same as the people in Alabama yeah it was very interesting to me.