Why Do People Eat the Superfood Quinoa?

This senior thesis seeks to understand who eats the superfood quinoa and what the motivations are for doing so. Five research questions are examined through a survey taken by approximately 170 Yale undergraduates, and analysis is conducted through Microsoft Excel and Stata. The questions examine gender, health associations, politics, city size, and geographic regions as possible variables that influence quinoa consumption. The hypothesis is that people choose to eat quinoa because of its superior health qualities; however, the major conclusions are that people eat quinoa because of its taste and the decision to eat this food is a political act.