Data was collected through a self-administered survey (See Appendix A for) between October 24, 2024 and October 26, 2024. Using a survey as the form of research allowed for a mixed method approach in order to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The first half of survey questions were multiple choice form, allowing for quantitative results and more precise numerical analyses. The second half of the questions were open ended, allowing for genuine answers from respondents without the persuasion of pregenerated answers to select from, producing qualitative results. This survey took participants approximately 5 minutes to complete and was accessed through a shared website link using the experience management platform, Qualtrics. This link was distributed through Instagram and Facebook pages, allowing for the inference that respondents are frequently using these social media platforms, and likely fall within the intended age range. This survey did require informed consent through a mandatory agreement page at the start of the survey.

The intention of this survey was to gain respondents' perceptions on health food brands based on the way they are advertised to the public. The desired age range of young adults and adults was intended with the idea that this group of people are likely purchasing products for themselves, rather than children or elders that may have food purchased for them. A broad survey direction was decided as it gave a broader stance to the “average” consumers, whereas selected interviewees would have potentially caused bias in people that are more aware of ingredients or advertising strategies in health food brands.

Once data was collected, numerical analyses were conducted for demographics such as age, gender, and race to simply identify factors that play a role in participant responses. The following multiple choice questions asked participants about dietary restrictions/choices, celebrity influence, and subconscious impact in order to determine their current level of product awareness and purchasing intent. The bulk of the survey was created with the intention to gauge perceptions of consumers based on subtle changes to products. The last four questions of the survey displayed two products each; these two products had subtle differences to them, including altered wording, design, and color. These four questions were each followed up with their own open ended question, asking participants what provoked them to select the product that they did. The responses of selected products were then paired with the participants’ reasons for why they were chosen and then coded for analyses in order to examine the relationship between initial consumer perceptions and their conscious decision habits.