Popular searches using Google’s engine in 2023 included asking why prices were so high for various items, especially food.
Egg prices were most searched in the “Why is/are… so expensive” category in the U.S., according to data from Alphabet-owned Google’s “Year in Search” for 2023. The annual report provides information about global and country search trends on a wide range of subjects with significant popularity increases compared to last year.
The searches for egg prices spiked in the second week of January when the average price for a dozen eggs was $4.82, according to Google. The searches were also particularly popular in California, Texas, Florida and New York.
SURGING EGG PRICES GIVING RISE TO PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES
Behind eggs being costly was “Why are Taylor Swift tickets so expensive?” in terms of most-searched question for how expensive things were, according to Google. Such searches, the tech giant said, saw spikes in May.
TAYLOR SWIFT, BEYONCE, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TOURS FINANCIALLY DOMINATED IN 2023
Swift’s wildly-successful “Eras Tour” first started back in mid-March. The cost of a ticket to her show averaged $238.95, according to Pollstar, though some other reports have said seats in certain cities have hit over $1,000.
Searching for “Why is Sriracha so expensive?” was also Googled frequently in the U.S. this year, particularly in early July, Google said. The tech giant placed the condiment, which has experienced a shortage and made headlines for that at the time, third on its U.S. top-10 list of “Why is/are… so expensive” category.
BLUEBERRY COSTS SKYROCKET BECAUSE OF SUPPLY SHORTAGE
In the U.S., searches about why grapes and blueberries had such high prices came in fourth and fifth place for the “Why is/are… so expensive” set, the tech giant said. Those popular questions posted spikes in May and as October transitioned into November, respectively.
For blueberries, NielsenIQ data showed grocery shoppers saw their price tag go from $4.09 on average in July to $5.88 in late October, FOX Business previously reported.
Meanwhile, many people in the U.S. also used Google to look for information regarding why soda, the online video game Diablo IV, lettuce, viral Stanley Cups and concert tickets were “so expensive” this year, according to Google.
Alphabet, the parent company of 25-year-old Google, has seen a nearly 49% increase in its stock price since the year began as of Tuesday evening.
Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.