Freedonia: Snacking habits vary by generation, with older consumers snacking primarily for enjoyment or indulgent treat, and younger consumers being far more likely than older consumers to snack for stress relief or energy

Cleveland OH – December 18, 2023 – The Freedonia Group and Packaged Facts, leading providers of market research and analysis, today announced the completion of the fourth quarter edition of their 2023 National Online Consumer Survey.

Each edition of this survey provides clients with actionable data-driven insights into consumer behavior and attitudes which will appear in a variety of Freedonia Industry Studies, Freedonia Focus Reports, and Packaged Facts Reports. Such data is custom designed to enable top analysis into market trends and directions, leading clients to the best decision making in product development, marketing plans, and other efforts.

The Freedonia Group and Packaged Facts National Online Consumer Survey is conducted quarterly, with 2023 editions so far being conducted in February (first quarter), May (second quarter), September-October (third quarter), and December (fourth quarter). The latest edition of the Freedonia Group and Packaged Facts National Online Consumer Survey was conducted with a panel of 1,547 US adults (aged 18 and older) balanced to the national population on primary demographic measures such as age group, gender, geographic region, marital status, race/ethnicity, presence or absence of children in the household, and household income.

• Big Picture Issues: pandemic concerns and likelihood of getting booster shots, concerns about pricing, feelings about sustainable living, and mental and emotional wellbeing

• Freedonia Focus Reports: drinking water quality and sources, disposable tableware, cookware major appliances, small kitchen appliances, and home subscription services

• Freedonia Industry Studies: siding, roofing, and related renovation and purchasing trends

• Packaged Facts: cooking confidence, kitchen appliance usage, shopping habits, dietary trends & preferences, food influences, snacking habits, food priorities, kids’ eating habits, family meal preparation trends, food gifting trends, pet population, pet litter and related pads and cleaning products, pet food buying habits and preferences, pet veterinary service needs and usage

According to Jennifer Mapes-Christ, an author of the survey and manager of Freedonia’s consumer & light commercial research and Packaged Facts’ food & beverage research, “We’ve been talking about the democratization of data. Companies are increasingly realizing that data-driven insights about shopping habits, priorities of key customer groups, psychographics of target demographics, and other actionable data are useful throughout the company. Rather than siloing data, companies are seeing the value in sharing more broadly, from marketing departments crafting an effective consumer outreach strategy to product development groups innovating in ways that solve customer problems and best meet their needs to educating new staff about current trends to equipping product managers and buyers with the data they need in working with vendors .”

Some highlight data points from the third quarter edition of the survey include:

• Despite data showing easing inflation trends, 52% of consumer report being very concerned about rising food prices, with another 30% stating that they are somewhat concerned about rising food prices

• With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in a big way in 2023, we asked if respondents were concerned about the rising use of AI in our world, and 27% of respondents strongly agreed. There is a generational difference here, with 20% of adult Gen Z strongly agreeing and 30% of baby boomers strongly agreeing.

• Sustainability is increasingly an action point for more consumers. In this survey, 49% of respondents agreed that they were more willing to take action on sustainability (in purchases  and waste) than last year. The response was highest among Millennials at 56%.

• On a scale of 1-5 (1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest), 56% of respondents ranked their tap water a 4 or a 5 in terms of both drinkability and safety

• Snacking habits vary by generation, with older consumers snacking primarily for enjoyment or an indulgent treat (likelihood increasing with age from 44% of adult Gen Z to 77% of pre-boomers) and younger consumers being far more likely than older consumers to snack for stress relief or energy.

• The top two reasons that consumers report having a cat or a dog are for companionship (with the highest rate of responses in this area among oldest respondents) and because they love that type of pet. Younger consumers were more likely to prioritize liveliness compared to older consumers.

The Freedonia Group and Packaged Facts National Online Consumer Survey is an essential tool for businesses that want to understand their customers and make the best decisions possible. Visit https://www.freedoniagroup.com or contact customer service to learn more about reports that include data from our proprietary surveys and the variety of ways to access that data, including custom cross-tabs of survey questions.