• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, September 24, 2012

For the second year in a row, Ritz Crackers is the most favorably perceived snack brand among U.S. consumers 18 and older, reports YouGov BrandIndex.

The rankings are based on the researcher’s Impression Score, which asks consumers: "Do you have a general positive feeling about the brand?" Scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

Ritz scored 55.2, up 1.2 points versus a year ago.

Lay’s and Doritos held onto their #2 and #3 positions, with scores of 52.1 and 47.1, respectively (down slightly from last year’s scores of 52.5 and 47.4).

Fritos moved up a notch in the rankings, to #4, with a score of 46.6 (up 2 points versus a year ago) – bumping Orville Redenbacher down from fourth to fifth place (with a score of 46.6 versus last year’s 46.9).

Wheat Thins, Tostitos and Cheetos remained sixth, seventh and eighth in the rankings, with respective scores of 44.1 (+0.5 points versus last year), 41.9 (+0.3) and 41.9 (+1).

Pringles also moved up a notch, to #9, as its score rose to 36.8 (+1.8 points), bumping Triscuit from ninth to tenth place. However, Triscuit’s score rose by 1.4 points, to  36.7.

Kettle Brand Chips showed the biggest gain in perception among snack brands. Kettle’s score rose from 14 last year to 16 currently.

Both men and women agree that Ritz and Lay’s are their favorites. However, men rate Doritos higher and Fritos and Orville Redenbacher lower than women.

YouGov BrandIndex interviews 5,000 people each week day from a representative U.S. population sample, more than 1.2 million interviews per year. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of more than 1.5 million individuals.