Up next in our Spotlight on States series is Iowa!
Iowa was the 29th state to join the union on December 18, 1846. Des Moines is the state capital. Iowa is the 26th largest state in the U.S. and is bordered by the states of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
According to the US Census Bureau, the estimated population of Iowa is 3,207,004 (July 2023 est.); it ranks as the 31st most populous state.
Official Iowa State Facts and Symbols
Every state has their own unique symbols, from birds to flowers to songs and more! Here are some of Iowa’s official state symbols:
- Nickname: Hawkeye State
- State Bird: Eastern Goldfinch
- State Flower: Wild Rose
- State Tree: Oak
- State Song: The Song of Iowa
- State Motto: “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.”
Find more information about Iowa’s state symbols/facts here.
Fun Facts about Iowa
There are many interesting facts about Iowa. Here are just a few from The Fact Site:
Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa invented the first single loaf bread-slicing machine.
Iowa is bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers on the west and is the only state whose east and west borders are formed almost entirely by rivers.
Iowa is the largest producer of corn in the United States.
The iconic baseball field from the movie Field of Dreams is located in Dyersville, Iowa. It is a popular tourist attraction.
Madison County in Iowa is known for its beautiful covered bridges, which were made famous in the book and film The Bridges of Madison County.
Some famous people born in Iowa are former President Herbert Hoover, John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Cloris Leachman, Ashton Kutcher, and many more.
NCP Panel Members in Iowa
Let’s learn about your fellow panel members in Iowa! Here’s how our Iowa panel members answered some of our state highlight survey questions.
How long have you been a panel member?
37% of survey respondents have been panel members for 15 years or more
21% have been panel members for less than a year
Is the area you live rural, suburban, or urban?
42% live in rural areas
37% live in suburban areas
21% live in urban areas
Do you have children?
78% of respondents have children
Of those, 16% have children living in their home
58% of respondents have lived in Iowa their entire life/born there.
Shopping Habits of NCP Panel Members in Iowa
We asked panel members questions about how, when, and where they shop, along with some other questions about their shopping habits. Do you think peoples’ shopping habits differ based on where they live?
Here’s what our panel members in Iowa had to say about their shopping habits:
When asked how they do most of their shopping, 61% of respondents said they do a combo of online and in-store shopping. 38% said they shop in-store only and 1% said they shop online only.
69% of respondents tend to shop at the same stores vs. 31% who said they shop at a variety of stores.
76% of respondents said they mostly stick to their list when shopping, but sometimes make impulse purchases.
66% of respondents said they shop alone, with another 26% shopping with a spouse or partner.
When it comes to choosing where to shop, 45% of the Iowa panel members who responded primarily shop at grocery stores and 46% at mass-merchandise retailers.
Price, convenience, and location are the top factors that influence where they decide to shop. Most of our Iowa panel members said they shop once a week for groceries and do most of their shopping on Thursdays.
About 84% of survey respondents look for ways to save money while shopping, with using the store sales flyer to plan their list and joining a store’s loyalty program being the most popular options. They also use paper and digital coupons, shop at multiple stores, and subscribe to store emails.
Convenience while shopping
Here’s what Iowa panel members had to say about different aspects of shopping:
71% never order groceries online to pick up at the store, while 20% sometimes do.
80% never order groceries online to be delivered, while 16% sometimes do.
When asked if weather influenced their choice between online and in-person shopping, 34% of respondents said weather doesn’t impact their decision, with 37% saying they prefer in-person shopping regardless of the weather.
When asked about self-checkout, 15% of respondents said they always use self-checkout, 45% indicated they frequently use it. 28% of respondents said they rarely use it, and 12% said they never use it.
Interests of NCP panel members in Iowa
When asked about the outdoors, 48% said they occasionally participate in outdoor recreational activities. The most popular ones were hiking/walking, swimming, and cycling. Of the other interests panel members wrote in, the most popular were fishing, camping, and gardening.
When asked which sports or events they follow, the top responses were football and basketball.
We also asked what type of place or tourist attraction would they recommend to people visiting their state/hometown. The most popular responses were restaurants/culinary places/local markets, historical and cultural museums, natural parks and reserves, and cultural events and local festivals.
When asked what “specific” place or tourist attraction they would recommend in their state/hometown, here are some of the top recommendations:
Ledges State Park
Field of Dreams Movie Site
Mississippi Riverfront
Madison County Covered Bridges
Iowa State Fair
Shrine of the Grotto of Redemption
We hope you learned something new about Iowa! How do your shopping habits compare to panel members in Iowa?
Stay tuned for the next state spotlight on…Kansas!
Join NCP!
If you’re not a NCP panel member and you’re interested in joining NCP to share your shopping experiences, earn great rewards, and influence what you see on store shelves, click here or go to the Join NCP section of the blog for more information.
Regards,
Taylor
More from NCP:
Click here for all the Spotlight on States blogs.
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!
Proud to be an Iowan.