May 23rd, 2022, Hoang Nguyen
Snacking is a regular part of many consumers’ diets. More than two in five global consumers (45%) say they often snack in between meals (“Snackers”), according to a YouGov poll across 43 major markets.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the consumption of snacks to varying degrees around the world. In places such as the US (30%) and Great Britain (31%), roughly a third of consumers say they consumed snacks more often while German (14%) and French (22%) consumers were considerably less likely to have increased their consumption in this category.
Snack marketers can get to know the trends and opportunities shaping the industry post-pandemic with YouGov’s latest report into Snackers from the US, France, Germany and Great Britain.
Below are a few big findings on snacking consumption from the YouGov report, “The rise of the snacker”:
Snacking appears to be much more common among certain populations than others. Two-thirds of people in the US (65%; estimated market sizing of more than 166 million US adults) and more than half of those in Great Britain (58%; 30.3 million British adults) say they often snack between meals.
By comparison, less than half of consumers in Germany (44%; 30.4 million German adults) and just a third of those in France say the same (30%; 8.5 million French adults).
Digging deeper reveals differences between the foods people regularly snack on by country. Among snackers in the US, some of their favorite things (excluding fruits and vegetables) include chips (53%), nuts or dried fruits (51%), candy/chocolate (51%), cookies (43%) and ice cream (34%).
Candy and chocolate bars take the top spot among German and British snackers, with 72% and 73% of snackers in each market saying they indulge on a weekly basis. Biscuits are also popular in both markets though British snackers are more likely to consume crisps/chips (62%) than their German counterparts (34%).
When it comes to the times when people are snacking, the top occasion across all four markets is while they’re watching TV. Other key occasions include snacking while bored, working/studying, and commuting.
Specifically in the US and Germany, snackers say they enjoy indulging while playing online games (23% and 18%, respectively).
Monthly spending also varies greatly from region to region. For example, American snackers are significantly more likely to say they spend more than $20 a month on snacks (70%) when compared to shares of snackers in Great Britain who spend more than £20 (35%) or Germany who spend more than 20€ (50%).
Get the summary report here to learn more about snacking consumption, including:
- Why people say they snack
- Which Mondelez snack brands resonate most with consumers in each market
- The rise of healthy snacking and what people are looking for in healthy snacks
- The role of sustainability in choosing and purchasing snacks
- Which snacks brands are trending among environmentally conscious snackers
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