Executive summary

Synovate conducted its second global 'Healthy Living' survey in February 2009 on health, weight control and attitudes to food and exercise – and discovered that, when it comes to food and weight – people are not always logical.

Tucking into tacos, nibbling on nuggets and chowing-down on chips. More than a third of all respondents across the 12 markets surveyed say they like fast food too much to give it up. Everyone knows that the United States of America (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) have populations that consume large amounts of fast food. Indeed, last year's number one fast food nation was the UK with 45% agreeing that they like the taste of fast food too much to give it up, just pipping the US at the post (where 44% agreed).

The countries most likely to respond to weight gain with physical activity are the United Arab Emirates or UAE (69%) and China (65%). Like the people of the UAE, Brazil and Spain were two other markets with people who seem to throw multiple strategies at losing weight. Also like the UAE, the motivations for doing so may be more around looking good than being healthy.

When Renée Zellweger, an American, signed on to play the very British Bridget Jones in the 2001 movie, the producers may have been making more of a statement than they realised... it turns out the two groups who are most likely to link food to mood, emotionally eating their way through life, are American and British women.

It's fascinating to see whether the more 'Western' health trends will develop and how China will address them. It is a nation that is oft quoted as the 'future' for tobacco companies and the Synovate survey showed that 28% of Chinese smoke on a daily basis, comprised of 52% men and only 3% women.

Most people firmly place the responsibility for obesity with the individual. A quarter of all respondents blame unhealthy food choices and another 23% say it is due to unhealthy food habits, like eating at irregular hours.