Rutgers poll: Which Halloween candy is NJ’s favorite?

Matthew Fazelpoor//October 29, 2025//

Reese’s Secret Stash Trick-or-Treat Bag

For Halloween 2022, The Hershey Co. released a special Reese’s Secret Stash Trick-or-Treat Bag to protect those coveted Halloween treats. - PROVIDED BY THE HERSHEY CO.

Reese’s Secret Stash Trick-or-Treat Bag

For Halloween 2022, The Hershey Co. released a special Reese’s Secret Stash Trick-or-Treat Bag to protect those coveted Halloween treats. - PROVIDED BY THE HERSHEY CO.

Rutgers poll: Which Halloween candy is NJ’s favorite?

Matthew Fazelpoor//October 29, 2025//

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While it is the home stretch of the campaign season, with Election Day just days away, is also upon us. A new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll has a little fun with the upcoming holiday.

The surveyed 795 voters from Oct. 3–17. It finds that Reese’s is the king of Halloween candies, according to New Jerseyans – with 21% of respondents ranking The Hershey Co. offering as their top pick.

Snickers comes in a distant second (11%), followed by:

  • Candy corn 9%
  • KitKat 7%
  • Twix and in general 6%
  • M&Ms 4%
  • Hershey’s and Milky Way 3% each
  • Butterfinger 2%

Notably, Reese’s was the top choice regardless of partisanship, gender, race and ethnicity, income and education. The only age group that did not put Reese’s as their favorite was those from age 50 to 64. That segment ranked Snickers first (15%), followed by Reese’s (13%) and candy corn (13%).

“With days to go to Election Day, partisans can agree on one thing – Reese’s is No. 1,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike say Reese’s is their favorite Halloween candy.”

Jessica Roman, director of data management and analysis at the ECPIP, noted that candy corn has historically been a more divisive treat.

“While it made the top three in this poll, the rest of the results suggest that sweet-toothed voters have a penchant for chocolate-based candies,” said Roman. “Nary a sour nor fruity candy cracked the top 10.”

This fun holiday question comes amid a series of recent polling from Rutgers-Eagleton that has included the latest gubernatorial race findings, top issues that voters are concerned about, sales/property tax, and more.

Trick-or-treat, New Jersey!