Yes, we have no loyalty. That would be the overarching result of our latest reader survey, in which we asked respondents to declare their allegiances between two top brands in a range of categories. Colgate or Crest? Verizon or AT&T? Costco or Sam’s Club?

We also provided the option to choose “neither” or “both” (when you think about it, “both” is not much better than “neither”). Perhaps it comes as little surprise that not a single brand in our survey attracted loyalty from more than 45 percent of respondents — and only two came close to that mark. Most were in the 30 percent range.

The two highest-scoring brands were Costco (44.6%) versus Sam’s Club (12.5%) and Bounty (44.6%) versus Viva (6.8%). But even here, 39.1 percent chose “neither” where club stores are concerned, and in paper towels indifference was also a close second at 40.2 percent. Granted, Bounty’s popularity might be mostly by default (many respondents said they had never heard of Viva) although a surprising number cited Bounty’s advertising slogan (“it’s the quicker picker upper”) as the reason for their loyalty.

It must be noted, however, that despite Viva’s paltry showing, its few fans were surprisingly ardent. “Viva rocks. Best quality paper towel on the market.” “Viva by a mile. Love the select-a-size.” Another twist is that even in categories where inherent emotional content might make it relatively easy to build loyalty, it just doesn’t seem to be happening.

In hotels, for instance, Hilton loyalists logged in at just 24.1 percent and Sheraton at 7.3 percent. “Neither” was the big winner, at 56.7 percent. For many, the reason given for loyalty was membership in a loyalty program, versus anything specific about the hotel experience itself. Even in sports apparel, and the emotion-laden battle between Nike (33%) and Adidas (11.2%), “neither” came out on top at 37.8 percent. Nike, in particular, seems to have suffered some because of its association with celebrity-athlete scandals and a perceived decline in product quality combined with high prices.

Some noteworthy patterns emerged in terms of what determines loyalty across the many categories we surveyed. Home Depot (36.8%) bested Lowes (18.9%), mostly because of convenient locations. Starbucks (37.4%) topped Dunkin Donuts (17.2%) for reasons of taste, atmosphere and image. Crest (32%) prevailed over Colgate (21.1%) thanks to tradition (“I used it as a kid.”).

AT&T (30.5%) and Verizon (31.6%) were in a virtual dead-heat, based on service, coverage and inertia (and a certain sentiment that they both suck). Neither Honda (21.5%) nor Toyota (15.4%) garnered much loyalty, with many respondents saying they preferred American cars. Anti-bottled-water animus colored the Aquafina (15.3%) versus Dasani (8.1%) faceoff, with several respondents also opining that Dasani “tastes weird.”

We also asked readers to name the brands or retailers (other than Apple) that have done something extraordinary to earn their loyalty. Most frequently named were Nordstrom, Starbucks, Zappos, Amazon, Subaru and Whole Foods. The most common reason given was pretty simple: great customer service.

On the flipside, we asked which brands or retailers had lost their loyalty and why. Few brands received more than a handful of mentions, although the airline industry as a whole came under fairly widespread attack, with a number of different airlines cited for various loyalty-busting transgressions. But whether the airline industry or any other, the gripe almost always is the same: shabby treatment. No ambiguity about it: Where loyalty is concerned, service can be a deal-breaker — or a deal-maker.