Nearly 80% of Americans too tired to cook after work

Eight in 10 Americans are too tired to cook themselves a meal after work, according to new research.

The survey of 2,000 general population Americans revealed 77% admit there are days where, after work, they’re too exhausted to cook.

And a fifth of respondents have been so tired while trying to cook — they’ve actually fallen asleep while making their food.

The research, conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Kevin’s Natural Foods , looked at when respondents are at their busiest, and the specific impact that has on what they eat.

Half of Americans surveyed (51%) believe they’re the busiest during the weekdays — but 38% don’t get a needed break on the weekends, saying they’re equally busy all seven days of the week.

That was reflected in respondents’ answers, when asked which days are the most challenging to make a home-cooked meal — Monday was the most difficult for those surveyed (35%), followed by a tie between Wednesday (29%) and Friday (29%)

Only 12% of respondents said they’re “never” overwhelmed by their busy schedule.

For those who can be overwhelmed by their schedule, 40% acknowledged that it affects their diet (with 57% of those saying it’s a negative impact).

“We know how important it is for people to have access to healthy, convenient meal options that don’t compromise on taste or quality,” said Becky Graham, Chief Marketing Officer at Kevin’s Natural Foods. “We understand the barriers to healthy eating — and we want to help ease the way for people with almost any lifestyle, especially the busiest families, to have meal options that make healthy eating easier and more enjoyable.”

When respondents feel pinched for time, they often turn to their favorite convenience meals such as sandwiches (42%), fast food (37%) and microwavable dinners (33%).

Despite 78% of respondents reporting that eating healthy is important to them, 19% of Americans surveyed still find themselves giving into the convenience and lining up at fast food chains at least once a day.

One in four respondents (26%) admit to ordering food delivery multiple times a week — and many end up regretting it due to the nutritional value (61%).

The survey dug into this, looking at the reasons people are unable to eat healthy meals, despite their desire to.

The top barriers to eating a healthier diet include it being too expensive (41%), not having enough time to make healthy meals (26%) and finding it difficult to find healthy ingredients (19%).

Convenience was another block for Americans: 74% of those surveyed said they’d be interested in eating a healthier diet if it were more convenient.

“Healthy eating should be easy for even the busiest families,” said Graham. “We want to help offer  solutions that ensure people don’t have to choose between convenience, delicious flavor and nutrition when it comes to getting dinner on the table.”

MEALS PEOPLE TURN TO WHEN SHORT ON TIME:

• Sandwich 42%
• Fast food                                            37%
• A microwavable dinner                       33%
• Frozen convenience foods/meals      31%
• Ramen noodles                                  29%
• Eggs                                                   25%
• Delivery/takeout                                 22%
• Revamped leftovers                           19%
• Variety of snacks                                19%
• Air fryer meal                                      18%

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans ; the survey was commissioned by Kevin’s Natural Foods and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Aug. 5 to Aug. 12, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.

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