KUALA LUMPUR — Market research firm Synovate has conducted its second global 'Healthy Living' survey on health, weight control and attitudes to food and exercise, and found that Bulgarians have outpaced Americans and the British in their loved for fast food.
The United States and the United Kingdom are known for consuming large amounts of fast food. Indeed, last year's No. 1 fast food nation was the United Kingdom, with 45 percent agreeing that they like the taste of fast food too much to give it up, barely surpassing the United States (where 44 percent agreed). But this year both nations have been resoundingly trounced in terms of fast food addiction.
In a surprise result, a hefty 68 percent of Bulgarians say they cannot give up their fast food. Stoyan Mihaylov, managing director of Synovate in Bulgaria, says the country, which was not part of last year's survey, is in the grips of fast food passion.
"Compared to mature fast food markets like the U.S. and the U.K., Bulgarians still find fast food chains a novelty and, to some degree, quite trendy. There are also limited convenient lunchtime choices in the cities so this is a normal lunch for grab-and-go office workers. What's more, there's no sign of this consumption slowing down."
The 2009 results saw the United Kingdom and the United States draw even, each with 44 percent of participants agreeing they cannot give up fast food.
Greg Chu, senior vice president of Synovate Healthcare in North America, says that Americans have a love-hate relationship with tasty and convenient fast food.
"Even while eating fast food, Americans have it in the back of their minds that it's not the healthiest choice — but that's not what they are focused on at that moment. The draw is convenience and taste, which is all that really matters when you are hungry and on the go.
"When they notice the weight gain, the easiest strategy to fight it is to stop eating fast food for awhile. Eventually the convenience factor pops up again and away we go on the whole cycle again."
Least susceptible to the taste of fast food were the Swedes and the Malaysians, each with only one in five people agreeing that they 'like the taste of fast food too much to give it up.'
Other results
- More than a third of all respondents across the 12 markets surveyed say they like fast food too much to give it up.
- Many make themselves feel better by paying for their actions in other ways, with 37 percent saying they exercise in order to compensate for other bad habits.
- Overall 55 percent agreed that they eat what they want, when they want. Yet 71% watch their food carefully and strive to be healthy.
- Those who were most likely to tackle weight gain by reducing food intake were the UAE (56%), Brazil (56%), the United States (55%), Canada (53%), Spain and the United Kingdeom (both 52%).
- Overall 29 percent of respondents across all 12 markets agreed 'I tend to eat junk food when I am feeling down', comprised of 34 percent women and 24 percent men.
- Most people firmly place the responsibility for with the individual. A quarter of all respondents blame unhealthy food choices as the cause of obesity and another 23 percent say it is due to unhealthy food habits, like eating at irregular hours.
- Eleven percent nominated 'no self-discipline' as the reason for the world's growing obesity issues, with more people in the United Kingdom (19%) and the United States (17%) saying this than anywhere else.
