39% of UK consumers haven’t changed their spending habits, leaving just 16% spending more on food and drink. In other parts of the world spenders have outnumbered savers in China, Brazil and Germany, highlighting the uneven nature of global consumer confidence.
TORA global food and drink spending behaviour – USA consumers saving the most
Country (Score) China (37); Brazil (16); Germany (4); France (-10); UK (-29); US (-33)
The figures in the Global Food and Drink Spending Behaviour table were reached by subtracting the percentage of people who have been actively saving money they spend on food and drink purchases, from the percentage spending more. Positive figures show spenders in the majority. Negative figures show savers in the majority
TORA interviewed 1,534 people from the UK, USA, France, Germany, China and Brazil before compiling its A Question of Taste Report.
Further evidence of UK consumers’ cost consciousness is suggested by the fact that 64% of those in work prepare lunch at home and take it into work. 11% of those interviewed go out to eat, 14% go out to buy food and take it back to the office, whilst 11% of us claim not to eat lunch at all. At the other end of the spectrum only 33% of Chinese workers prepare lunch at home and take it to work. 38% of them go out to eat.
Just over one in three of those interviewed in the UK eat their evening meal sitting with family in front of the TV. Similarly 35% of people polled in the US do the same. Things are different in other parts of the world. 75% of Chinese respondents sit as a family and eat most meals together. 71% of French respondents said the same. The figure drops to 46% in the UK.
Despite spending less on food and drink, 24% of people interviewed in the UK weigh more than they did a year ago. 56% reckon they weigh about the same, and 18% say they weigh less. That puts the UK third in the weight perception index.
TORA global weight perception index – Brazilians think they’ve put on the most
Country (Score) Brazil (15); China (13); UK (12); France (2); Germany (-2); US (-2)
A positive score means more people think they’ve put on weight than lost weight. A negative score means the number of people thinking they’ve lost weight is greater than the number weighing more
87% of us in the UK do our grocery shopping at a supermarket. 7% shop online, which is the highest figure globally and significantly above all other countries surveyed. 58% of us in the UK always use a shopping list, 30% of us use a list occasionally, whilst 13% of us never use a shopping list. 78% of people in the UK are open to trying and experimenting with new food and drink products. Indeed UK consumers are more adventurous than most.
Chris Sinclair, CEO at The Oxford Research Agency, said: “the pressures of the last couple of years are having a significant impact on what we’re spending on food and drink in the UK. UK consumers remain very focused on value for money and will hunt out special offers. They’re open to new ideas too though, so the climate for developing and launching new products is still positive, even if consumers are becoming ever more empowered.”
Source: The Oxford Research Agency
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