Eating More; Enjoying Less
According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, about six in ten Americans say they eat more than they should, the enjoyment of eating is down (with the greatest decline among self-described “overweight” people), the enjoyment of cooking has held steady, and men and women now enjoy cooking about equally.
According to these results, Americans are eating more, but enjoying it less. 39% of those surveyed by Pew said they enjoy eating “a great deal,” which is down from 48% who said the same thing in a 1989 Gallup survey. This decline in enjoyment was greatest among those who think they are “overweight,” versus those who think they are “just about the right weight.”
Also, eat more than they should often (17%) or sometimes (42%).
34% of adults enjoy cooking “a great deal,” versus 32% of adults who said the same thing in 1989. 19% eat junk food more than they should, saying “often,” while 36% eat junk food “sometimes” more than they should. The top reasons for eating junk food are:
- It’s more convenient (73%)
- What people like to eat (44%)
- Heavily advertised (37%)
- Affordable (24%)
- Don’t know what is healthy (14%)
- Other reasons (3%)
66% of respondents eat at a restaurant at least weekly, while one third said they do so less than weekly. Moreover, 41% eat a meal from a fast food restaurant at least weekly.