HIGH POINT, N.C., March 13, 2026 – In High Point University’s preparation for Pi Day 2026 (March 14 or 3.14), the HPU Poll asked North Carolina residents about their pie preferences and favorability toward popular pie types.
Overall, apple pie emerged as the favorite in both favorability and when respondents expressed a single pie preference.
Majorities of North Carolina respondents said they held favorable views of nearly all pie flavors tested. Traditional fruit pies such as apple (85%), peach (69%), strawberry (69%), blueberry (69%), and cherry (68%) ranked near the top, while sweet potato and key lime pie received lower rankings, though most participants (61% and 63%, respectively) still indicated that they liked them.
When asked to indicate their single favorite pie, apple pie won out again. Seventeen percent of North Carolinians indicated it was their favorite. Pecan pie was not far behind, with 14% saying it was their favorite. Chocolate pie took third place with 13% of North Carolinians selecting it as their favorite. The pie that received the fewest votes was peach pie, with just 3% of North Carolinians naming it their favorite.
“Pi Day is a perfect blend of fun and curiosity,” said Dr. Jenny Sharpe, chair and professor of mathematics at HPU’s Webb School of Engineering. “It gives us an excuse to debate our favorite pies, but it also highlights something deeper about mathematics: the joy of exploring patterns, asking questions and discovering unexpected connections. It’s a celebration of the wonder that keeps mathematicians — and plenty of pie lovers — coming back for another slice. I encourage you to ask some ‘I wonder why…?’ questions with your favorite pie. Mine will always be my mom’s pecan.”
North Carolina Residents – Pie Favorability
| Here is another list. Please indicate whether you have a [favorable or unfavorable] view of each listed item. (Items randomized) | |||
| Favorable | Unfavorable | Unsure/Not familiar with person or thing | |
| Apple pie | 85 | 12 | 4 |
| Chocolate pie | 73 | 21 | 6 |
| Peach pie | 69 | 26 | 6 |
| Strawberry pie | 69 | 21 | 10 |
| Blueberry pie | 69 | 26 | 6 |
| Cherry pie | 68 | 27 | 6 |
| Pumpkin pie | 66 | 28 | 5 |
| Pecan pie | 66 | 28 | 6 |
| Key lime pie | 63 | 31 | 7 |
| Sweet potato pie | 61 | 31 | 8 |
North Carolina Residents – Ultimate Favorite Pie
What is your favorite type of pie? (Items randomized)
Apple Pie 17
Pecan Pie 14
Chocolate Pie 13
Key Lime Pie 10
Pumpkin Pie 10
Sweet Potato Pie 9
Cherry Pie 6
Blueberry Pie 5
Strawberry Pie 5
Peach Pie 3
Other 7
Unsure 2
Methodology:
HPU Poll 118 was fielded by the High Point University Survey Research Center on Jan. 15-31, as an online survey using a panel of respondents recruited and maintained by Dynata. Dynata sent invitations to its panel of North Carolina respondents, and the SRC collected 1,003 responses (an all-adults sample) on its Qualtrics platform. All respondents were asked two screening questions to identify them as registered voters. A total of 755 respondents identified themselves as registered voters. The SRC did all data analysis.
The online sample is from a panel of respondents, and their participation does not adhere to usual assumptions associated with random selection. Therefore, it is not appropriate to assign a classic margin of sampling error for the results. In this case, for the all-adults sample, the SRC provides a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points to account for a standard margin of sampling error of 3.1 (as if it were a probability sample) and a design effect of 1.1 (based on the weighting). The all-adults data is weighted toward population estimates for age, gender, race, education and ethnicity based on U.S. Census numbers for North Carolina. The High Point University Survey Research Center (SRC) produces weights through an iterative procedure within SPSS. Factors such as question wording and other methodological choices in conducting survey research can introduce additional errors into the findings of opinion polls.
Further results and methodological details from the most recent survey and past surveys can be found at the Survey Research Center website. Materials online include past press releases as well as memos summarizing the findings (including approval ratings) for each poll since 2010.
The HPU Poll reports methodological details in accordance with the standards set out by AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, and the HPU Survey Research Center is a Charter Member of the Initiative.
Dr. Martin Kifer, chair and professor of political science, serves as the executive director of the HPU Poll for the Survey Research Center.
Dr. J.R. Moller serves as the staff director of the HPU Poll for the Survey Research Center.
Genevieve Schultz serves as a research assistant of the HPU Poll for the Survey Research Center.