Poll: 2-in-5 time-strapped Americans look for breakfast on the go

LOS ANGELES — In a national consumer poll of 10,000 U.S. consumers on their breakfast eating and food-buying preferences released by Instantly Tuesday, data indicates that time is a big factor in making decisions about what to eat for the first meal of the day. According to the study, when time is a constraint, Americans are likely to get something on the go (43%) or skip the meal all together (21%). When eating on the go, 63% of respondents might grab something from home, 45% would go to a drive-thru restaurant and 31% might stop at a convenience store or gas station. 

 

“In the U.S., with longer work days that break out of the 9-to-5 model, timing and convenience has become a deciding factor in what many Americans eat in the morning,” state Andy Jolls, chief marketing officer at Instantly. “But that doesn’t mean demand for breakfast foods is low. If companies can provide breakfast in a format that accommodates busy schedules while appealing to taste and nutrition, they could see significant incremental growth.”

 

The study, polled in June 2015, explores issues around convenience, fast food and time constraints for what’s traditionally considered the most important meal of the day. Results reveal more than half of Americans do not consistently eat breakfast every day of the week, with 12% rarely eating breakfast at all. For those who rarely have breakfast, lack of time is the second most-selected reason for not doing so, next to not having an appetite in the morning.

 

When time isn’t a factor, Americans say taste and health benefits are the most important deciding factors in breakfast foods, while portion size and cost are considered the least important factors in deciding on what to eat.