# Tasting with Feelings: Socioeconomic Differences in Children’s Emotional and Sensory Description of Vegetables

## TL;DR

Children from different socioeconomic backgrounds describe vegetables differently, with higher-SES children using more varied sensory and emotional terms.

## Contribution

The study reveals how socioeconomic status influences children's sensory and emotional descriptions of vegetables, beyond mere liking.

## Key findings

- Higher SES children used a broader and more differentiated vocabulary to describe vegetables.
- Positive emojis increased liking, while negative and neutral emojis had no effect.
- Juicy, fresh, and mild flavors increased liking, while strong aroma decreased it.

## Abstract

Vegetable consumption in childhood remains below recommendations worldwide, particularly in disadvantaged socioeconomic groups. Building on prior work showing no socioeconomic status (SES) differences in children’s liking of familiar vegetables, this study examined whether their sensory and emotional descriptions vary by SES and how these relate to liking beyond hedonic ratings. A total of 363 Chilean fourth graders (9–10 years) from five SES groups evaluated eight vegetables at school. For each sample, children rated overall liking (7-point facial hedonic scale) and completed two CATA (Check-All-That-Apply) tasks: a child-derived sensory list (13 terms) and a validated emoji-based emotion list (33 items). Data were analyzed using Cochran’s Q tests, correspondence analyses, and mean-impact analyses. The use and diversity of sensory and emotional descriptors differed significantly between socioeconomic groups (p < 0.05): children from higher SES levels employed a broader and more differentiated vocabulary, while those from lower SES backgrounds used fewer significant terms. Across the sample, juicy, fresh, and mild flavors increased liking, whereas strong aroma decreased it (p < 0.05); positive emojis increased liking, whereas negative and neutral ones had no effect. These findings reveal that perceptual and affective representations are socially patterned, underscoring the need to foster sensory–affective literacy in lower-SES contexts.