NEW YORK — Between after-school sports and parents working long hours, is the family dinner becoming more obsolete? Three in five Americans believe every dinner should be a “family dinner” — and just as many wish they could eat more often with their family.
In a poll of 2,000 U.S. adults, the average person says they only get to spend three dinners out of the week with their loved ones. Many have seen a decline in how often they get to eat with family, leaving them wanting more. In their youth, the average person recalled eating four dinners per week with family and another two dinners with others outside their family circle.
For nearly half the poll (49%), having a family dinner together is an “important way to connect” over a meal. Shared dinners were also good for making memories (46%), learning more about their family in general (46%), and continuing family traditions (45%).
Commissioned by The Honey Baked Ham Company and conducted by OnePoll, the study also explored what table manners look like in 2022. The data revealed that two-thirds (67%) of those surveyed believe having good table manners is an important factor in family dinners.
Did you wash your hands? Most common rules of etiquette for family dinners
Over a third (35%) follow the same etiquette rules they did as kids. Twenty-six percent note they’ve created their own rules as adults. The top five universal rules for table etiquette that Americans follow today are: wash your hands before you sit at the table (49%), don’t talk with your mouth full (46%), don’t slurp your food or drink (44%), chew with your mouth closed (44%), and don’t make noises with eating utensils (43%).
The survey also exposed the most offensive “sins” at the dinner table. The top no-nos include chewing with your mouth open (19%), not washing your hands (17%), and burping (17%).
“We’re happy to hear that families want to spend more quality time together talking, catching up, and bonding over a delicious family meal,” says Jim Dinkins, CEO of The Honey Baked Ham Company, in a statement. “What’s pleasantly surprising to us is how many people consider good table manners to be an important part of the family dining experience.”
What’s the cost of ‘convenience’?
When eating with others, nearly half of Americans prefer ready-to-eat meals from home (49%) or home-cooked meals (48%). Ordering takeout (43%) and dining at a restaurant (32%) followed closely behind.
Parents in the survey were especially fond of home-cooked meals — with four in five preferring them to any other method of dinner prep. Yet, the average parent only gets around to making four meals from scratch per week. Two in three (65%) claim preparing dinner for their family is a stressful event.
That may be especially true during the summer months, since parents reported feeling more stressed about dinner prep in the summer (59%) versus the school year (53%). When asked what would prevent them from preparing a home-cooked meal, 43 percent of all respondents say they don’t want to deal with the clean-up process. Others don’t have the cooking skills (40%) or don’t have the time (35%).
In order to be considered a “convenient” meal, the average American says it needs to take less than 33 minutes to prepare. When looking at price per meal, Americans expect family meal costs per person to be $10.10 for a home-cooked meal, $12 for takeout, $11.60 for fast-food, and $12.40 for a sit-down restaurant meal.
“No matter how you define family, we’re all looking for ways to keep family dinner stress-free,” Dinkins adds. “Finding something quick to make is only one part of the solution.”
‘Average’ person? Every iota within the ABSOLUTE One is UNIQUE (ONE of a kind), from the snowflake over drops of tree sup to the largest galaxy, making ‘averages’, ‘comparisons’, etc pp unrealistic.
Your comment is uniquely below average.
My goal is to have zero meals with my partner and zero time with them! Some people are so draining and exhausting to be around.
I don’t know where they get their fast food. A Whopper w/cheese, fries and drink, meduim is $15 plus tax here. I’ve kind of given up on fast food. May as well go to a real retaurant or cook at home. I went through this calculation just a couple weeks ago. I don’t see a home cooked meal at less than $5 per person. And that’s an average. The current inflation has made around a 50% increase in costs, because all foods haven’t gone up the same. Mayo is up 50% here, Drinks are way up, Vegetables are ok if you get them at stands but in the store they are also way up. Wait till this winter. The next crop for canned goods hits at the end of September. We’re still eating last years crop. Most people don’t grasp the effect of fuel prices being built into everything being cumlitive. Fertilizer, diesel for tractors, diesel for transport, diesel and electric for processing, Diesel for store delivery, Each step adds cost and uses energy and fuel, especially diesel which is way up.
Nice fake family photo.
With all the work, and the wife working and the kids working part time jobs there is just no time to spend raising a family.
We need money more than we need family.
The defense of Capitalism is more important than family.
Besides the school is raising the kids.
This is sad the more families are together for dinner the more communication among each other the more unified they are. Family becomes supporting Foundation for life journey with children especially.
Of the 14 lunch/supper meals a week, our family — me, wife, 5 kids — eats 10 of them together, plus 3 more with everyone except me alone — when I’m at work till 8 PM. Usually we have good conversation, joking, and sometimes Bible reading. My kids stay at the table as long as they can after supper, horsing around. Hard to imagine eating any other way.
I think family dinner is the most important part of the day. I’m realizing I only have dinner twice a week with my husband due to work schedule. Something’s not right. Family should be first. Would love to see blue laws back. Enough of 24/7 non stop work cycle.