A poll of 2,000 adults found over a third of those who skip breakfast do so because they don’t have enough time in the morning
A quarter of Brits are regularly skipping the firs meal of the day, with a lack of variety, time constraints, and saving themselves for a larger lunch being cited as the main reasons. The majority of those who eat breakfast enjoy it – with 47% of the opinion it’s the most important meal of the day.
However, the survey involving 2,000 adults revealed that 34% of breakfast dodgers simply don’t have enough time in the morning, while 13% prefer to hold out for a substantial lunch and 12% find their cupboards too bare to rustle up the first meal of the day.
Those who miss their morning meal typically don’t eat until noon, but this trend changes over the weekend, with 43% more likely to indulge in breakfast, and nearly a third of those admitting they enjoy making it a special occasion.
Millennials, in particular, are keen on a lavish weekend breakfast, with 44% treating themselves more than any other age group, closely followed by Gen Z at 35%.
The study was commissioned by McDonald’s UK, has launched its first-ever Breakfast Saver Menu trial across 332 restaurants, featuring Sausage Sandwich and Saver Bacon Roll options.
A spokesperson for the brand said: “It’s widely regarded as the most important meal of the day, yet it often gets neglected. This is understandable as we might wake up with good intentions only for them to fall by the wayside. Life moves fast – especially it seems, first thing in the morning when you need to get out and away without delay.”
The research found that 57% of people have woken up planning to have breakfast but ended up not having it. It also revealed 47% cite a lack of time and 34% just don’t feel hungry at that time. While Another 14% simply don’t fancy what’s lying about in their kitchen.
Then it turns out, 37% of people stick to the same breakfast routine daily; however, 28% like mixing things up with a bit of variety. Cereal takes the top spot as the most picked breakfast option at 48%, closely followed by toast at 47%, and fruit makes an appearance with 26%.
The research found 58% typically have breakfast at home but 22% ‘crave’ a breakfast they can’t make at home.
The spokesperson added: “Breakfast doesn’t have to be something you mindlessly eat just for the sake of it. Even when you’re in a rush it can still be something nice – and it doesn’t need to cost the earth.”