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Polling

SurveyMonkey study: health foods

SurveyMonkey study: health foods

Key findings:

  • 1 in 3 Americans show greater commitment to healthier eating since the beginning of the pandemic
  • Nutritional value and price leading criteria for food purchases, but Gen Z has higher standards compared to older generations
  • 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. are currently on a diet, led by low-carb, no-sugar, and intermittent fasting
  • Recent health food trends (i.e. alternative drinks, non-dairy milk, plant-based alternatives) most popular among Gen Z, with nearly 1 in 3 having tried plant-based meat alternatives
  • Majority of consumers show high willingness to pay a premium for healthier food, but more hesitant to support social and sustainability causes

1 in 3 adults in the U.S. show greater commitment to healthier eating since the beginning of the pandemic

More than one in three (37%) people say they are focusing more on eating healthier since the start of the pandemic, with Gen Zers at the forefront. Gen Zs are especially health-conscious, with half citing an increased focus on their diet throughout the pandemic. 

One in three (34%) consumers say they ‘always’ look for healthier alternatives for the food they eat, while roughly half (53%) say they ‘sometimes’ do so. Health foods such as alternative drinks, plant-based food alternatives, and non-dairy milk are most popular. One in five (21%) have tried meat alternatives such as Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods. Gen Zers, once again, lead all age cohorts in food trend participation.

Nutritional value and price leading criteria for food purchases, but Gen Z has higher standards compared to older generations

The majority of consumers cite nutritional value and price as the most important factors when purchasing food (61%), followed by taste (51%). Gen Z’s food purchasing preferences, however, go beyond nutrition and price. Taste is equally important to them as nutrition and value, while convenience, food safety, and brand values are also greater priorities to this group than Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers.

Nearly half (48%) of consumers look for food certification labels when purchasing food; Organic food certifications, such as “USDA Organic”, “Certified Organic”, or “Made with Organic Ingredients” are most prominent, followed by non-GMO verification and fair trade certification. Gen Z are more drawn to organic labels than other age cohorts, with nearly 1 in 2 (45%) looking for the label when shopping for food, compared to 36% of consumers overall.

4 in 10 Americans are currently on a diet, led by low-carb, no-sugar, and intermittent fasting

Millenials are more likely than any other age cohort to be on a diet: 46% are dieting in any manner, compared to 40% of the overall population. Low-carb diets are the most popular across all age groups, while keto diets are especially favored among Gen Zers.

Majority of consumers willing to pay a premium for healthier food, but more hesitant to support social and sustainability causes

More than 4 in 5 Americans are very or somewhat willing to pay more for nutritious food. They are, however, less enthusiastic about spending more money on sustainability, organic foods, and even less so on foods owned by brands committed to social and environmental justice.

Read more about our polling methodology here.

Survey dates: 

Sample size: 1,380

  • Since the beginning of the pandemic, would you say that you are focusing more, less or the same amount on eating healthy?

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    More
    37%
    38%
    37%
    Less
    13%
    11%
    14%
    The same
    49%
    50%
    49%
    No answer
    1%
    0%
    1%
    Question wording: Since the beginning of the pandemic, would you say that you are focusing more, less or the same amount on eating healthy?
    Survey dates: 
  • Which of the following are important to you when it comes to food purchasing decisions? (Select all that apply)

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    Nutritional value (ingredients, calories)
    61%
    61%
    61%
    Price
    61%
    61%
    61%
    Taste
    51%
    50%
    51%
    Convenience
    28%
    27%
    29%
    Safety
    28%
    27%
    29%
    Source / Origin
    20%
    21%
    20%
    Brand (transparency, company values)
    19%
    18%
    20%
    Other (please specify)
    4%
    2%
    5%
    No answer
    2%
    2%
    2%
    Question wording: Which of the following are important to you when it comes to food purchasing decisions? (Select all that apply)
    Survey dates: 
  • How often do you actively look for healthier alternatives for the food you eat?

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    NET always/sometimes
    87%
    85%
    89%
    Always
    34%
    35%
    34%
    Sometimes
    53%
    51%
    56%
    Rarely
    10%
    11%
    9%
    Never
    2%
    4%
    0%
    No answer
    1%
    0%
    1%
    Question wording: How often do you actively look for healthier alternatives for the food you eat?
    Survey dates: 
  • Which of the following types of foods have you tried within the past 12 months? (Select all that apply)

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    Alternative drinks (sparkling water, kombucha, non-alcoholic drinks)
    41%
    43%
    38%
    Plant-based food alternatives (chickpea, cauliflower, kale)
    40%
    34%
    45%
    Non-dairy milk (oat, soy, almond, rice)
    39%
    35%
    42%
    Smoothies (acai, kale, protein)
    35%
    33%
    37%
    Seed oil alternatives (avocado, coconut)
    29%
    27%
    31%
    None of the above
    22%
    23%
    22%
    Cold-pressed juices (fruit/vegetable cleanse, detox)
    22%
    22%
    23%
    Meat alternatives (Beyond Meat, Impossible)
    21%
    19%
    23%
    Meal replacements (Soylent, Huel)
    8%
    7%
    8%
    No answer
    2%
    3%
    2%
    Question wording: Which of the following types of foods have you tried within the past 12 months? (Select all that apply)
    Survey dates: 
  • Which of the following diets are you currently on, if any? (Select all that apply)

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    None of the above
    57%
    57%
    58%
    Low-carb
    18%
    19%
    18%
    No-sugar
    12%
    14%
    10%
    Intermittent Fasting
    11%
    13%
    8%
    Gluten-free
    6%
    7%
    6%
    Keto
    5%
    7%
    5%
    Vegetarian
    5%
    3%
    6%
    Plant-based
    5%
    4%
    5%
    Vegan
    3%
    2%
    3%
    Paleo
    1%
    1%
    1%
    No answer
    3%
    3%
    2%
    Question wording: Which of the following diets are you currently on, if any? (Select all that apply)
    Survey dates: 
  • How willing are you to pay more for food that is:-More nutritious

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    NET willing
    83%
    83%
    84%
    Very willing
    40%
    39%
    41%
    Somewhat willing
    42%
    43%
    42%
    NET not willing
    11%
    12%
    9%
    Not too willing
    8%
    8%
    7%
    Not willing at all
    3%
    4%
    2%
    No answer
    6%
    5%
    7%
    Question wording: How willing are you to pay more for food that is:-More nutritious
    Survey dates: 
  • How willing are you to pay more for food that is:-Organic

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    NET willing
    64%
    63%
    65%
    Very willing
    26%
    25%
    27%
    Somewhat willing
    38%
    38%
    37%
    NET not willing
    30%
    33%
    28%
    Not too willing
    19%
    19%
    20%
    Not willing at all
    11%
    14%
    8%
    No answer
    6%
    4%
    8%
    Question wording: How willing are you to pay more for food that is:-Organic
    Survey dates: 
  • How willing are you to pay more for food that is:-Owned by a brand committed to social and environmental justice

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    NET willing
    60%
    54%
    67%
    Very willing
    21%
    19%
    23%
    Somewhat willing
    39%
    35%
    44%
    NET not willing
    34%
    43%
    26%
    Not too willing
    17%
    18%
    17%
    Not willing at all
    17%
    25%
    10%
    No answer
    5%
    3%
    7%
    Question wording: How willing are you to pay more for food that is:-Owned by a brand committed to social and environmental justice
    Survey dates: 
  • How willing are you to pay more for food that is:-Produced sustainably

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    NET willing
    73%
    69%
    76%
    Very willing
    25%
    22%
    28%
    Somewhat willing
    47%
    47%
    48%
    NET not willing
    20%
    25%
    16%
    Not too willing
    13%
    15%
    11%
    Not willing at all
    8%
    11%
    5%
    No answer
    7%
    5%
    9%
    Question wording: How willing are you to pay more for food that is:-Produced sustainably
    Survey dates: 
  • Which of the following food labels do you look for when purchasing food?

    Gender
    AnswerTotalMaleFemale
    Unweighted N1,380587767
    None of the above
    48%
    52%
    44%
    Organic (USDA Organic, Certified Organic, Made with Organic Ingredients)
    36%
    35%
    37%
    Non-GMO Project Verified
    25%
    20%
    29%
    Fair Trade Certified
    15%
    11%
    18%
    Rainforest Alliance
    7%
    6%
    8%
    No answer
    4%
    4%
    4%
    Question wording: Which of the following food labels do you look for when purchasing food?
    Survey dates: 

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