No matter how often you sit down to family dinner, your mom and dad probably wish it happened more often. New data from YouGov finds that although most Americans are having family dinners regularly, most parents say they wish they were having more frequent family dinners.
Most Americans are sitting down at the dinner table with their family regularly. Among US adults who live in a household with at least one other person, 75 percent say they sit down for dinner with all members of their household at least once a week. Within this group, 29 percent say they have a family dinner with all members of their household every single day.
Parents of children and teenagers (87%) are especially likely to say they have a family dinner with all members of their home at least once a week.
Although parents are having family dinners more often than many other Americans, YouGov’s research suggests they wish they were having family dinner even more often.
Roughly six in 10 (62%) parents with children under 18 say they would like to have family dinners “much more often” or “somewhat more often.” Just under half (46%) of Americans living in a household with at least one other person say the same. An equal number (46%) of US adults say they are content with how often they have family dinners.
Similarly, those who live in cities (55%) are more likely than those who live in the suburbs (41%) or in rural areas (47%) to say they would like to have family dinners more often.
What are the hurdles when it comes to having more family dinners?
About three in 10 (31%) Americans who share a household with others say it tends to be difficult to have family dinners. The most common issue? Scheduling.
About two-thirds (65%) of those who indicate it’s difficult to have family dinners say “Members of my family are on different schedules, so we tend to eat at different times.” More than one-third (36%) also say that members of their family are too busy, while 14 percent say it’s difficult because members of the family are picky eaters. Family drama may also play a role: 13 percent of those who say it’s difficult say it’s due in part to the fact that “Members of my family don’t want to spend time with certain other family members.”
See full results here.
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Methodology: Total unweighted sample size was 1,220 US adults, which included 938 US adults who share a household with at least one other person. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (ages 18+). Interviews were conducted online between October 21 - 22, 2019.
Image: Getty
