Only one in four brits eat together as a family

Meal times have traditionally been an opportunity for the family to re-connect at the end of each day, however, just a quarter (26 per cent) of us dine together as a family, new research has revealed.

This is a surprise given that an overwhelming 79 per cent think that eating dinner together is a huge part of childhood, with half of the nation (55 per cent) claiming to be happiest when eating as a family.

The research by Privilege Home Insurance showed that instead of sitting around the table and catching up on what the family has been up to, more than a third of us (37 per cent) are choosing to eat dinner in front of our favourite tv show, with one in 10 millennials (10 per cent) even eating in their bedrooms.

Unsurprisingly, almost half of the population (46 per cent) say they rarely eat dinner without looking at their phones, rising to over half (57 per cent) of millennials.

Despite almost two thirds (59 per cent) knowing that social media can ruin quality time with families or loved ones, we’re still choosing to scroll on our phones as opposed to sitting and enjoying an evening meal together.

We do know however, that there’s more important things than constantly checking our social media and six in ten (57 per cent) want to ban screen use over dinner*.

Adding another break from tradition, one in four Brits (25 per cent) no longer serve any conventional British meals in their homes at all.

However, the beloved Sunday roast still reigns supreme, with 40 per cent enjoying this classic on Sundays still, and one in three (31 per cent) eating a roast at least once a week, with Brits enjoying an average of 27 roasts a year.

There has also been a rise of vegan food in the household, with one in five British families (20 per cent) deciding to opt out of dairy, choosing nut or soya milk alternatives in their hot drinks, cooking and in their morning cereal. 

Londoners and millennials are particularly partial to an alternative milk, with a third (31 per cent) of millennials and 29 per cent of Londoners dodging dairy.

Furthermore, two million Brits have named vegan food as their favourite tucker.

When it comes to eating in, almost a quarter (23 per cent) of the nation order takeaways every week, with 29 per cent admitting to ordering their food via an online app.

This leads to Brits having a staggering 1.6 billion takeaways every year.

Whilst fish and chips might not be a Friday staple anymore, on average people are still having it a whopping 20 times a year.

Lunch is seemingly under threat, with over half of those surveyed (51 per cent) admitting to missing lunch at least once a week. Of those that don’t skip it however, almost a third (31 per cent) eat it whilst working at their desk and one in four (22 per cent) eating the same lunch every day.

Lunch may be easy to miss, but it appears supper less so, with only 31 per cent skipping this meal.

Christian Mendes, Head of Privilege Home Insurance, said: “Sharing a meal together as a family is something that is of great importance to many, yet sadly, a good proportion of us are skipping out on this in favour of a tv, desk, or solitary dinner.

“Seeing as over half of the nation enjoy themselves most when at home around the dinner table, it’s something we should try making more of a habit of, aiming to enjoy some quality time around a hearty meal- whether that’s a classic dish, or something more exotic.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact: Georgia Andrewes at Richmond & Towers:

georgia@rtc.london / 020 3179 0720

Notes to editors:

Research carried out amongst a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults by Opinium Research from 23^rd to 27^th August 2019.

*Research carried out amongst a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults by Opinium Research between 18th and 20th December 2018

Privilege

Privilege Insurance specialises in home insurance for homeowners and landlords. It also offers car insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line.

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Privilege and UK Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  

Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling

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