No fat, sugar or calories, please. New study shows Americans are choosing healthier beverages
28 November 2006
According to a recent survey by global market research firm Synovate, American consumers are choosing healthier beverages now than they were a year ago.
When asked which specific beverages they consume at least three times per week, consumers said their top choices were bottled water (53%), coffee (52%) and tap water (45%). Almost as popular is low-fat milk at 38%.
There has been a clear shift in consumers' beverage choices over the past 12 months. Among those who drink three or more servings of non-fat milk per week, 20% claim they are drinking more non-fat milk now than they were 12 months ago. Among consumers who drink three or more servings of soy-based beverages, 43% are drinking more now, and 30% of fruit and vegetable juice drinkers are also consuming more juice.
However, the biggest increases in beverage consumption came from bottled water, vitamin enhanced waters and juices and energy/concentration enhancing beverages. Forty nine percent of those consuming these items indicated that they drink these beverages more often now than they did a year ago.
The beverages being chosen less often are those typically associated with higher sugar content and fewer nutrients. Regular cola, flavored cola, and even diet cola all had a sharp decrease in reported consumption by those who said they usually drink these beverages three or more times per week. Among alcoholic beverages, only red wine is consumed more often now than a year ago, with white wine, regular beer and light beer being consumed slightly less among those who regularly consumer these items.
Forty-eight percent of respondents agree they are now more likely to consider a beverage's nutritional value than a year ago, and 63% said that they are careful to avoid beverages that may have ingredients they consider harmful to their health. Half the respondents agree they always examine a new beverage's nutritional ingredients before purchasing it for the first time, and 36% said it is worth paying more to get purified, health enhanced beverages.
"Even though it's clear that consumers are trying to make healthier choices, cost and taste do still matter," said Bob Michaels, Senior Vice President in Synovate's Consumer and Business Insights Group. "In fact, some of the healthy beverage choices are still fairly high on consumers' lists of beverages to avoid." Soy-based beverages are the main example of this, with 49% of all respondents saying they avoid these types of drinks.
The study was conducted among 1,000 consumers in the US using eNation, Synovate's national online omnibus research service.
Contact(s) for this press release
|
Jennifer Chhatlani
Vice President, Marketing & Communications |
|
|
222 South Riverside Plaza |
Tel: +1 312 526 4359 |
|
Veronica Jijon
Marketing Director |
|
|
8600 NW 17th St, Ste 100 |
Telephone: +1 305-716-6775 |
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,000 employees across 62 countries.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.