Student food habits revealed
If you are a student in Aberdeen or Oxford, you are more likely to regularly buy a takeaway than in any other British city or town, new research has revealed.
And academics are more likely to order fast food when they are at home, preferring it to the fare offered by mum and dad.
Interestingly, a staggering 62% of eggheads choose to spend more time with their flatmates or loved ones when they order a takeaway compared to when they cook a homemade meal – while 37% of females said they prefer cooking for themselves, compared to just one-in-four males.
Conducted by the Foodhub app, the recent study investigated the eating habits of students as the new academic year began to bite this September. It discovered more than half of UK students (52%) regularly order a takeaway rather than cooking their own meal. And often a takeaway can account for five out of seven main meals every week. Of those who took part in the study, 40% of respondents revealed they’d happily spend between £10-20 on grub, while a third admitted they'd up to £30 on a takeaway for themselves.
“We wanted to investigate how students' eating habits change, now they are living independently and managing their own finances," commented Ardian Mula, a spokesperson for Foodhub. "While we were surprised to find out that students order more takeaways at home rather than at university, we weren’t [that] shocked."
Foodhub's research discovered one-in-10 participants order a takeaway three times a week, with 14% ordering once a week and 18% of students admitted to tucking into a takeaway up to five times in a seven-day period.
Students' top takeaways
- Italian
- Chinese
- Indian
- Fish & Chips
- Burger
- Thai
- Kebab
- Mexican
- Sushi
- Dessert
Despite the adage that students during term time can be lazy when it comes to culinary creativity, 52% admitted they ordered more takeaways at home compared to when at university. This could come down to a finance problem, with almost a quarter of students (23%) identifying cost as the most important factor when choosing a takeaway, with the type of cuisine being the main priority (32%).
In terms of favourite cuisine amongst students, Italian came out on top (43%), with Chinese following behind (39%) and Indian rounding off the top three (33%).