Editor's note: This article was originally published in The Surveyor, YouGov America's email newsletter. It has been revised for publication here. Subscribe to The Surveyor for regular updates on YouGov's polling.
Most Americans rarely get takeout or have food delivered, a new YouGov survey finds. Three-quarters (76%) of Americans cook at least a few times per week, and many also eat leftovers (60%) or eat food another household member cooked (42%) at least that often. Only 2% of Americans never cook, and another 10% cook once a month or less.
But 17% of Americans say they have food delivered at least once per week — with higher delivery use by Americans who are younger, wealthier, or live in cities.
Takeout is more common than food delivery, with 34% getting takeout weekly or more. Only 13% of Americans say they never get takeout, while 48% of Americans never get food delivered.
Americans who are 45 or older are more likely than younger adults to cook (90% of those 45 and older do this weekly, compared to 82% of 18- to 44-year-olds) and buy groceries (82% vs. 76%). Adults under 45 are more likely to regularly eat from meal kits (21% of 18- to 44-year-olds do this weekly, compared to 10% of adults 45 and older), to get takeout or delivery (43% vs. 26%), to eat at a sit-down restaurant (30% vs. 23%), and to heat up frozen meals (60% vs. 50%). Younger adults are also more likely than older adults to eat food cooked by another member of their household (65% vs. 45%).
Americans who say they're good at cooking are also more likely than less confident chefs to cook frequently. 60% of self-proclaimed great cooks say they cook daily, compared to 40% of good cooks, 23% of OK cooks, and 7% who say they're bad or terrible at cooking.
Women are more likely than men to cook every day (40% vs. 31%). People who live with a spouse or partner are more likely to cook every day (43%) than are those who live alone (36%) or with their parents (23%).
Both men and women who live with a partner are more likely to cook than men and women who don't live with a partner, but the difference is especially notable for women. Men and women who don't live with a partner are about equally likely to cook: 29% of these men and 31% of these women cook daily. But among those who live with a partner or spouse, 35% of men and 52% of women cook every day.
Most Americans rarely order meals delivered; 48% never do this and 33% doing so monthly or less. Only 17% order meals delivered weekly or more. But people living in cities, which generally have higher densities of restaurants, are more likely to order delivery. 31% of city dwellers say they order delivery at least once a week, as do 44% of 18- to 44-year-olds living in cities.
This is especially pronounced among high-income city dwellers. Overall, 12% of those with family incomes under $50,000 per year order delivery at least weekly, compared to 17% of those earning $50,000 to $100,000 and 27% of those earning $100,000 or more.
Combining age, income, and urbanness, 68% of adults under 45 living in cities with family incomes of $100,000 or more say they order delivery at least weekly.
Comparing meals cooked at home with meals delivered, almost all Americans say home-cooked meals are healthier than delivered meals (88% vs. 3%). 88% of Americans also say that delivered meals are more expensive than home-cooked meals, while 6% say the opposite.
Most Americans also give the edge to home-cooked meals as better-tasting than delivered meals (74% vs. 14%). But Americans are more closely split about which is more convenient: 42% say home-cooked meals and 51% say delivered meals.
Methodology: The February 5 - 9, 2026 poll was conducted among 2,179 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of U.S. adult citizens. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, U.S. region, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 33% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3%.
Image: Getty
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