Italian food tops the list of favourite cuisines, which is a favourite for half (51%) of Britons, the YouGov Food Study finds. This is followed by Chinese food (46%) and British (43%). Indian is liked by four in ten Britons (41%), particularly more by men (47%) than women (36%). Mexican (13%), Thai (12%) and American (11%) cuisines are the next most popular, while French – considered to be one of the world’s best cuisines – is preferred by just 5% of Britons.
A closer look at the results shows that Italian food is the favourite for the majority of those aged 16-24 (58%) and 25-39 (56%), while approaching half in other age groups (47-48%). It is also slightly more popular with women (54%) than men (48%). Italian is also the most popular food choice for vegetarians, with two thirds (67%) rating it as their favourite, significantly higher than non-vegetarians.
Junk food is often blamed for obesity problems in the UK. The YouGov Food Study finds almost half of people (47%) say they eat ‘junk food’ a least once a week, including 7% who do so every day. One in five (21%) consume it once or twice a month, while 17% have it less often.
One in eight Britons (12%) say they don’t eat junk food at all.
Two-thirds of Britons aged 16-39 (66-69%) eat junk food at least once a week, falling to 47% among those in their forties and fifties, and just a quarter (23%) of those aged 60 and older.
When it comes to Britons’ favourite junk foods, chocolate (37%), crisps (32%) and takeaway pizza (31%) are the most popular. Hamburgers are a favoured choice for 18%, followed by French fries (16%).
There are some considerable gender divides in terms of favourite junk food. One in four men (24%) prefer hamburgers, while this applies to only 13% of women. Men are also more likely than women to like takeaway pizza: 36% vs 26%. On the other hand, women are more likely than men to prefer chocolate (43% vs 31%) and crisps (35% vs 28%).
Takeaway pizza is notably more popular with those under 40 (41-42%) than those in their 40s and 50s (30%), or those 60 and older (15%).
See full results here
