IPSOS DATA DROPS:
Boycotts in America
March 2025
Key Takeaways:
Fewer Americans say they’ve cut back on dining out since the start of the year — a trend that holds across income levels, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker. That could signal that dining habits are stabilizing, or that Americans simply can’t cut back further on their budgets.
Over that same period, generational attitudes have continued to diverge. Americans over 55 are now markedly more likely to say that they tend not to get fast food or coffee, while younger Americans’ habits are almost unchanged.
Most Americans say they’ve been cooking dinner or packing lunch at the same rate or more since the start of the year. In particular, more Hispanic and Asian Americans say they’re preparing meals at home more.
More older Americans are saying they tend not to dine in, eat out, or get coffee
But over that same period, dining habits have diverged further by generation.
Now, two-thirds of Americans over 55 say they tend not to get coffee at a coffee shop (+16pts vs 2024), compared with 31% of Americans 18-34.
29% say they tend not to have lunch at a sit-down restaurant (+9pts), and half tend not to get lunch from take out or delivery (+13pts).
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In comparison, younger Americans’ dining habits have held steady.
For instance, half (46%) of 18- to 34-year-olds say they’re having lunch at fast food restaurants at the same rate they were at the start of 2025.
Some are getting fast food more, and some are doing it less. But most are unchanged, and just 5% say they don’t do so at all.
Younger adults are sticking to their dining habits
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Fewer Americans are cutting back on dining out, compared with 2024
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In August 2024, approximately one-third of Americans said they had cut back on fast food and delivery orders — a trend that was most pronounced among lower-income households.
Six months into 2025, the portion of Americans who say they’re eating out more is still modest, but fewer say they’re cutting back, including Americans earning under $50k.
That could signal that some are returning to old habits. But it could also mean that some Americans have no room to cut their food budgets back any further.
What's Next
Quick service restaurants and delivery apps’ efforts to restore perceptions of value and convenience may be working , particularly when it comes to younger consumers. But the data may also suggest that Americans are already cooking at home as much as they can, and that they can’t cut back any further.
But Americans over 55 aren’t just saying they’re dining out less — they’re more likely to say they tend not to do these activities at all. This lines up with other Ipsos data indicating that older Americans have been particularly price-sensitive in 2025.
Age isn’t the only divide in American dining habits. Asian and Hispanic Americans represent a growing consumer base for fast food brands and restaurants — but most say they’re cooking more since the start of 2025.
TO LEARN MORE, CONTACT: Wendy Wallner Executive Vice President wendy.wallner@ipsos.com Or visit the Ipsos Consumer Tracker archive and the Ipsos Top Topics page.
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IPSOS DATA DROPS:
Boycotts in America
March 2025
IPSOS DATA DROPs
which americans are dining out, and which are opting out?
July 2025
Check out our other DATA DROPS for more compelling data & insights
Source: Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded August 6-7, 2024 among 1,085 U.S. adults and June 17-18, 2025 among 1,096 U.S. adults
Source: Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded August 6-7, 2024 among 1,085 U.S. adults and June 17-18, 2025 among 1,096 U.S. adults
Source: Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded June 17-18, 2025 among 1,096 U.S. adults
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Almost everyone says they’ve been cooking dinner for themselves either at the same rates or more since the start of the year.
But the percentage of Americans who say they’re cooking more has decreased slightly since last year, a trend that holds true across income levels.
This could signal that they’re sticking to the cooking routines they picked up in 2024, or that they’re already cooking at home as much as they reasonably can. Either way, it suggests that this habit is sticking.
Source: Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded June 17-18, 2025 among 1,096 U.S. adults
Almost everyone says they’re cooking dinner at home the same or more
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Most white Americans say they’re cooking as much as they were in January. In contrast, more Hispanic (+6pts vs 2024) and Asian Americans (+13pts) say they’ve been cooking dinner more frequently.
That could be explained by various factors, but it runs counter to the trend seen on the last page, where fewer Americans say they’re cooking at home more compared with 2024.
A similar distribution holds for those making lunch at home.
Source: Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded June 17-18, 2025 among 1,096 U.S. adults
More Hispanic and Asian Americans say they’re cooking dinner more
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