HOW IS THE COST OF LIVING RISE AFFECTING THE NATION’S FOOD HABITS? POLLING SUMMARY MARCH 2022 Key stats on sustainable diets •
Two in five people say that having an environmentally friendly diet is not a priority for them at the moment
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Two thirds (64%) feel that eating food that is more environmentally friendly is more expensive
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42% would like to buy food that has less of an impact on the environment, but can’t afford to
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27% agree they would like their diet to be more environmentally friendly but they don’t know where to start
Key stats on affording food •
34% of respondents say they have never had to worry about whether they can afford to eat, until now
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16% of parents worry their children will go hungry
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The top three actions people say they are already taking in response to the rising cost of living are reducing their use of heating and electricity (61%), buying fewer clothes (59%) and buying less or cheaper food (55%).
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A quarter of respondents say they are shopping around to get the best prices for food. The same say they are buying more own-brand products.
Key stats on eating healthy •
More than a third of Brits (36%) say they’d like to eat more healthily but can’t afford to, as half feel that how healthily you eat is dependent on income
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58% of people feel that eating a healthily is more expensive
ALL STATS Cutbacks/actions being taken 1. Do you plan to make any of the following cutbacks in the coming weeks/months? Top three actions people are already doing or plan on doing are 1) reducing use of heating and electricity 2) buying fewer clothes 3) eating out less (closely followed by buying less or cheaper food) Tiny variation if you look only at those already cutting back: top three actions are 1) reducing use of heating and electricity 2) buying fewer clothes 3) buying less or cheaper food (closely followed by eating out less) •
75% have already started reducing how much they use the heating and electricity at home or plan on doing it (61% and 14% respectively). 19% are neither planning on reducing nor doing it already. Highest proportion of those that have started amongst 35-44 at 67%, lowest proportion amongst 16-24 at 49%
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71% are already buying fewer clothes or plan on doing it (59% and 12% respectively). 21% are neither planning on buying fewer clothes nor doing it already. Highest proportion of those that have started amongst 35-44 at 66%, lowest proportion amongst 16-24 at 50%
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66% are already eating out / going out less or plan on doing it (54% and 12% respectively). 22% are neither planning on eating out less nor doing it already
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65% have started buying less or cheaper food (less meat, frozen/ready meals) or plan on doing it (55% and 10% respectively). 28% are neither planning to nor doing it already. Highest proportion of those that have started amongst 35-44 at 63%, lowest proportion amongst 55+ at 48%
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51% have started using cars less or plan on doing it (41% and 10% respectively). 27% are neither planning to do this nor doing it already
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51% have started scaling down on birthday presents or plan on doing it (37% and 14% respectively). 37% are neither planning to nor doing it already
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47% have started unsubscribing / scaling back on household subscriptions or plan on doing it (31% and 16% respectively). 33% are neither planning to do this nor doing it already. Highest proportion of those that have started amongst 25-34 at 39%, lowest proportion amongst 55+ at 22%
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27% of those who have children have started cutting down on children’s activities or plan on doing it (20% and 7% respectively). 27% are neither planning to nor doing it already
1A. Which of the following actions, if any, are you least likely to cut back on? • • • • • • • •
14% said they are least likely to cut back on how much heating end electricity they use at home 13% were least likely to buy less or cheaper food (less meat, frozen/ready meals) 12% were least likely to eat our or go out less 11% were least likely to cut down on car use 11% were least likely to unsubscribe / scale back on household subscriptions 8% were least likely to scale down on birthday present 8% were least likely to buy fewer clothes 7% of parents were least likely to cut down on children’s activities
2. As a result of the rise of the cost of living, have you started taking or planning on taking any of the following actions regarding your food and shopping habits? The top five actions that most people have taken as a result of the rise in the cost of living are: 1. Buying just essentials and fewer extras/nice to haves (28%) 2. Choosing more own-brand product (25%) 3. Shopping around to get best prices for food (25%) 4. Reducing food waste in their household (24%) 5. Being More careful to cook the right portions and Freezing food before it goes off (both at 22%) The top five actions that most people haven’t started yet but plan to as a result of the rise in the cost of living are: 1. Buying just essentials and fewer 'extras/nice to haves" (17%) 2. Batch/bulk cooking meals for the week (17%) 3. Buying more tinned/frozen foods so they last longer (16%) 4. Doing more 'big shops" than buying groceries little and often (16%) 5. Buying groceries little and often more than the big shops (16%) •
28% are already buying just essentials and fewer “extras/nice to haves” as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 17% plan to start doing this. 21% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living.
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25% are already choosing more own-brand product as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 14% plan to start doing this. (29% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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25% are already shopping around to get best prices for food across a range of shops as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 15% plan to start doing this. (25% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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24% are already reducing food waste in their household as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 13% plan to start doing this. (38% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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22% are already being more careful to cook the right portions as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 15% plan to start doing this. (31% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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22% are already freezing food before it goes off as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 12% plan to start doing this. (36% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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21% are already eating more leftovers as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 12% plan to start doing this. (32% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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18% are already buying more tinned/frozen foods so they last longer as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 16% plan to start doing this. (22% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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16% are already batch/bulk cooking meals for the week as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 17% plan to start doing this. (23% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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16% are already doing more “big shops” than buying groceries little and often as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 16% plan to start doing this. (22% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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16% are already buying groceries in store more (rather than online) as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 12% plan to start doing this. (23% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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14% have already changed the supermarket they usually shop at as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 13% plan to. (13% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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13% are already drinking less alcohol as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 12% plan to. (19% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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12% have already reduced their family’s meat intake as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 13% plan to. (19% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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9% are already skipping meals as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 10% plan to. (10% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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9% are already buying groceries little and often more than the big shops as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 16% plan to start doing this. (12% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
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7% are already buying groceries online more (rather than in store) as a result of the rise in the cost of living. 12% plan to start doing this. (13% have taken this action but not as a result of the rise of cost of living)
3. What, if anything, do you find challenging about food shopping? (Tick all that apply) • • • • • • • • • •
22% say they lack inspiration/get stuck in a rut with what they’re buying 19% say they don’t always plan meals in advance which can often mean some goes to waste 15% find it hard to decide which to prioritise: cost or quality 13% are persuaded by kids/family members to buy certain products 12% don’t always look at the use by dates before they buy food 12% find it hard to calculate the quantities they need 11% live on their own and struggle to find food sold in single/small portions 10% often don’t know how to make the food stretch enough 10% said they’d like to buy food in season but don’t know what’s in season/don’t have time or know how to find out 9% say they are unsure of what makes up a healthy, balanced diet
Emotional impact/attitudes 4. When considering the rising cost of food and how it will affect you/your family, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? •
51% agree* that they are going to be much more careful about how much food their household throws away (61% of 35-44 vs. 44& of 55+)
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42% agree rising cost of food is encouraging me to be more creative with using leftovers/making meals go further
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38% say they are going to have to reduce how much they spend on food to be able to afford bills 37% say they’re going to have to cut back on buying highquality/sustainable produce 34% say they have never had to worry about whether they can afford to eat until now 34% say the combination of energy price increases and rising food prices is having a significant effect on their household’s ability to eat a healthy diet (44% of 25-34 vs. 25% of 55+) 33% feel the rising cost of food means they’re going to need better cooking skills to make their food go further 27% are worried they’re not going to be able to afford to eat a balanced diet (36% of 25-34 vs. 18% of 55+) 16% of parents agree* that they are worried their children will go hungry (31% of 16-24 vs 6% of 55+) 18% are worried they will go hungry (27% of 25-34 vs. 9% of 55+) Only 12% say the rising cost of food won’t change their eating habits
*These figures were obtained by combining ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ responses
5. When considering the cost of food, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? A majority of respondents agree that it is more expensive to eat healthily and to eat food that is environmentally friendly • •
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58% agree* eating healthily is more expensive • This was particularly felt by 35-44 year-olds (66%) 64% agree eating food that is more environmentally friendly is more expensive • This was felt more by people as their age increased. I.e. 68% of 55+ compared to 47% 16-24 year-olds (although, how many in this age group are living at home with parents shopping for them?) 61% agree that if fruit and vegetables were less expensive than junk food, it would encourage more people to make healthier choices 50% agree that how healthily you eat is dependent on what your income is 42% would like to buy food that has less of an impact on the environment, but can’t afford to 36% said they’d like to eat more healthily but can’t afford to
*These figures were obtained by combining ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ responses
6. When considering what makes an environmentally conscious diet, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? [strongly agree to strongly disagree] • • • •
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52% would like to see better labelling on food packaging so they can make more informed choices about how sustainable the food they buy is 51% agree there is a lack of information out there about what foods/diets are less impactful on the environment Two in five (40%) say that having an environmentally friendly diet is not a priority for them at the moment More than a third (35%) agree they get confused over whether importing foods that suit a more plant-based lifestyle has more or less of an impact on the environment than eating locally produced meat 27% agree* they would like their diet to be more environmentally friendly but they don’t know where to start Only 20% say they make a lot of effort to have an environmentally friendly diet
*These figures were obtained by combining ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ responses
7. Which of the following statements, if any, apply to you regarding your cooking skills and habits? (Tick all that apply) • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
24% say they do a lot of cooking but they are not very imaginative with what they make 24% use every edible part of any food that they cook with More than ¾ (76%) do not use every edible part of any food they cook with 20% would like more ideas on how to make their food go further 16% say would like to cook more but they are not very confident in their ability 16% say they can’t afford to buy all the ingredients for the recipes that they like 15% say they are not comfortable “freestyling” so prefer to follow a recipe 14% say they can’t afford all the cooking equipment they would like to have 14% say they don’t have space for all the cooking equipment they would like to have 14% say they’d like to cook more but they don’t have the time 13% say they rely heavily on convenience food 11% say they would like to use their leftovers but they are not sure how to reheat them safely 6% of parents would like to teach their children how to cook but they are not very confident in they ability 6% say they rely on takeaways
8. Do you regularly take or willing take the following actions to save energy in the kitchen? • • • • • • • • • • •
62% regularly only boil the water that’s required rather than filling the kettle and 25% would be willing to in the future 56% regularly put a lid on water coming to the boil and 29% would like to in the future 54% regularly cook on the hob rather than in the oven and 29% would be willing to in the future 51% regularly boil at a steady rather than furious pace and 32% would like to in the future 47% of people say they regularly cook/heat in the microwave rather than in the oven and 30% say they don’t regularly do but would be willing to in the future 44% regularly turn off the hob/oven early and allow residual heat to finish the cooking and 18% would like to in the future 37% say they regularly Batch bake and freeze excess and 37% would be willing to in the future 37% regularly use a slow cooker rather than conventional oven and 36% would be willing to in the future 32% say they regularly do batch cooking - preparing meals for the week in one session and 39% would be willing to in the future 27% regularly batch bake smaller items with shorter cooking times and 43% would be willing to in the future 26% regularly use an air fryer rather than conventional oven and 37% would be willing to in the future
9. On average, how many times a month, if at all, do you do the following? Visit a shop for groceries • 95% of people visit a shop for their groceries every month • The majority of people (48%) visit a shop for groceries between 1 to 5 times a week Order groceries online • The majority of people (51%) never order groceries online (NB: they answered ‘0’ when asked how often they order online) • Those aged 55+ are the least likely to order groceries online with almost two thirds (64%) saying they never do compared to 62% of 16-24 year-olds who do so every month
10. If you order groceries online and visit shops for groceries, are you more likely to check use-by dates when you? a) Unpack your home delivery b) Are choosing the food inside a shop c) I don’t check use-by dates Respondents are more likely to check use by dates when they are choosing the food inside the shop (57%). 32% check the dates when they unpack their home delivery. Only 11% of people do not check the use by dates. This is lower amongst the 35-44 at 8% and highest amongst the 55+ at 14%. It is worth noting that throughout the research, those aged 55+ are much less worried about/don’t feel they will be too impacted by the rising cost of living. This may perhaps be because they are of the age where their children are starting to/have left home and they have a higher income/more stability with their finances.