Recent research findings from BIGinsight call to mind the words of one of Mike Myers’ most unforgettable Austin Powers characters (the bounds of good taste prevent us from mentioning his name but the uninitiated can learn more here): “I eat because I’m unhappy. And I’m unhappy because I eat.”
The Worthington, Ohio firm’s analysis of data from select fast-food restaurant customers found that McDonald’s patrons are the unhappiest with their health (24 percent unhappy/totally unhappy), with diners at Taco Bell (22.7 percent), Wendy’s (22.1 percent) and Burger King (21.5 percent) right on their heels. Customers of these restaurants tend to have a more negative opinion of their own physical condition versus the general population.
Unhappiness Index (among select fast-food customers)
(customers who are unhappy/very unhappy versus the general adult population)
McDonald’s: 112.24
Taco Bell: 106.03
Wendy’s: 103.46
Burger King: 100.76
KFC: 96.96
Subway: 90.52
Chick-fil-A: 73.69
Arby’s: 71.30
(McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, Arby’s and KFC customers were analyzed for this study. “Customers” are defined as those who eat most often at a given fast-food restaurant [an unaided, write-in response]. Respondents were asked: On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being “Totally Unhappy,” and 5 being “Totally Happy,” how would you rate your happiness level with your Health?)
Chick-fil-A diners report being the happiest with their health of those analyzed (58.9 percent happy/totally happy), followed by Subway and Arby’s customers at 57.1 percent and 56.6 percent, respectively. This is compared to over half of Americans (53.9 percent) who feel the same.
“Given that Chick-fil-A, Subway and Arby’s all offer menu items with a calorific punch, it’s apparent that Americans’ overall personal health perceptions aren’t specific to their fast-food chain of choice,” said Pam Goodfellow, consumer insights director, BIGinsight, in a press release. “We’ve found that it boils down to their health habits, including exercising regularly and watching fat and calorie intake.”
Subway patrons are the most likely to exercise on a regular basis (49.1 percent), while McDonald’s customers are the least likely of the group (34.8 percent). As a comparison, 34.3 percent of adults 18+ say they exercise regularly.
Exercise Regularly (among select fast-food customers)
Subway: 49.1%
Chick-fil-A: 46.0%
Arby’s: 43.2%
Taco Bell: 40.3%
Wendy’s: 40.2%
Burger King: 36.0%
KFC: 35.4%
McDonald’s: 34.8%
For more information check out the BIG Consumer Blog.