In 2021, approximately ** percent of respondents in the United States (U.S.) stated that they have cooked more often, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, approximately ** percent stated that they have cooked more with family members. Food preparation & cooking since the start of the pandemic In April 2020, another survey comparing changes in eating and food preparation since the beginning of the pandemic found that nearly ** percent of participants in the U.S. stated that they cook at home more often than before. When the survey was repeated in May 2021, this figure shrank to ** percent. According to the survey results, nearly ** percent stated that they are snacking more. Other behavioral trends since the start of the pandemic The pandemic has had many effects on our behavior. One survey in May 2020 asked respondents in the U.S. about changes in their activities while staying at home due to the pandemic. Nearly ** percent of participants in the U.S. stated that they are watching more TV than before. This figure was significantly higher than the share of participants in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Germany, where approximately ** and ** percent stated the same, respectively. In the United States, nearly ** percent stated that they are watching online streaming services (e.g. Netflix) more often, while this figure was ** and ** percent in the U.K. and Germany, respectively. Another trend is that the share of digital spending has increased as well, particularly among (18-23 years olds) and Millennials (24-39 years olds).

According to a survey from 2020, a preference to consume more home-cooked food was prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region. The strongest preference was in China and Indonesia, where nearly ** percent of the respondents expressed their interest in consuming more home-cooked meals in 2020.

As of May 2020, 37 percent of Hungarians ate more home cooked meals than before the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The most common reason for this was that people had more time for cooking. At the same time, 38 percent of respondents ate more meals prepared at home because it was cheaper. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

As COVID-19 swept across North America in 2020 and 2021, the resulting lockdowns led to an increase in home cooking activity. In the United States, the average adult consumer cooked nearly ***** meals per week in 2021, up from *** meals in 2019. Comparing the U.S. with its neighbors Canada and Mexico, the increase in cooking was the largest for Mexicans. In Mexico, the average surveyed respondent cooked nearly *** meals per week in 2021.

While a crucial part of our daily routine, food does not solely play a nutritional role in it. Indeed, food has a way of bringing people together and is often described as a good approach to a new culture.
France, often associated with food, is the country where people spend the most time eating and drinking per day. And while French people seem to enjoy eating, a majority also takes part in the step that comes before the meal: ** percent of French people cook at home every day or almost every day.

According to a survey in June 2020, almost ** percent of Chinese respondents said they are cooking more at home compared to before the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, about ** percent of respondents say their frequency of cooking at home stayed the same.

In 2020, most Polish respondents cooked every day or almost every day, ** percent and ** percent, respectively. In contrast, *** percent of respondents answered that they hardly cooked at all.

In 2019/2020, ** percent of the female respondents in the United Kingdom (UK) stated they cooked from scratch a few times a week, compared to ** percent of their male counterparts. Approximately ***** percent of the male respondents said they cooked from scratch once a month.

During a survey in 2020, close to ** percent of respondents ** or older strongly disagreed that they lack the skill to cook a meal from scratch. The younger the group of respondents was the smaller the share of those who strongly disagreed got. Among the group of the 18 to 24 year-olds approximately ** percent of respondents stated that they strongly agree that they lack the skills necessary.

In 2019/2020, ** percent of the respondents aged 25 to 34 in the United Kingdom (UK) said they cooked from scratch every day, while only ***** percent cooked from scratch once a month. Approximately ***** percent of the respondents between 45 and 54 years of age said they cooked from scratch once a week.

In 2020, approximately ** percent of the respondents from households with *** members stated that they strongly disagree that they lack the skills necessary to cook a meal from scratch. Eight percent of the respondents from this group strongly agreed that they lack the skills. Approximately ** percent of respondents from this group neither agreed nor disagreed.

Although essential to our physical survival, food does not play an entirely nutritional role in our daily lives. Indeed, meals make for a favorable time to share. While French people seem to enjoy eating, a majority also takes part in the step that comes before the meal: preparing it. This activity is also a social one and can be a time to bring families together. Whether it is dessert preparation (** percent) or the choice of home-cooked meals (** percent), it appears that French parents like to include their children in their cooking activities.

Although it is a crucial part of our daily routine, food does not solely play a nutritional role in it. Indeed, food and eating have a way of bringing people together. While French people seem to enjoy eating, a majority also takes part in the step that comes before the meal: preparing it. This activity is also a social one and can be rooted in tradition. Over ** percent of French people declare that they cooked with their parents when they were children.

As the coronavirus pandemic spread across the globe in 2020, people everywhere were confined to their homes due to self-isolation practices and lockdowns imposed by government. This resulted in an increase in cooking activity. In Indonesia, this behavioral change was the most noticeable. In 2020, the average surveyed Indonesian adult cooked *** more meals per week than in 2019. Other countries where the cooking frequency increased significantly were Mali, Malaysia, and Uruguay.

As of 2020, ** percent of the respondents who lived with their partner in the United Kingdom (UK) said they cooked from scratch a few times a week, compared to ** percent of the widowed respondents. Roughly ***** percent of the respondents who were single and never married stated they cooked from scratch once a month.

France, often associated with food, is the country where people spend the most time eating and drinking per day. And while French people seem to enjoy eating, a majority also takes part in the step that comes before the meal. In general, people prefer to either prepare quick meals, or a mix of meals that can be prepared both quickly and slowly.

Around ** percent of surveyed parents in the UK either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that their children are now more interested in cooking at home during lockdown in 2020. Just ** percent disagreed with the statement.

As of May 2020, 50 percent of Hungarians prepared their meals themselves during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For another 32 percent of respondents someone else from the household prepared the food.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

In 2020, when asked in a survey, if they lack the skill to cook from scratch, ** percent of male respondents strongly disagreed while ** percent of male respondents strongly agreed. The share of female respondents that strongly agreed was three percent lower than the share of male respondents. In general, female respondents where more often equipped with the skill to cook from scratch than male respondents.

In 2019/2020, asked in a survey how frequently they do bulk cooking for freezer storage, roughly ** percent of respondents that earned ****** British pounds or less stated that they never do so. The share of those who said they never do so was lowest among those who earned between ****** and ****** pounds and came to ** percent in both brackets that fell in this range. The share of respondents from both of these brackets that cook bulk every day was less than *** percent.