With Summer almost upon us and people trying to shed a few pounds before their annual holiday, Kantar Media TGI’s study of consumer behaviour reveals that almost half (49%) of all adults in the Republic of Ireland are trying to lose weight. The equivalent figure is 48% in Northern Ireland and 43% in the UK. With figures like these, it is little wonder that the diet and slimming industry is so big.
Those seeking to slim down in the Republic of Ireland include 56% of women and 41% of men. There is no particular age range that is particularly likely to seek to lose weight, although it is something that the wealthier end of the earning spectrum seem to be more pre-occupied with, as those with a family income of €75,000 or more are 20% more likely to be looking to lose weight than the average adult.
These slimmers are also 72% more likely to agree “Most of the time I’m trying to lose weight”, 36% more likely to agree “I always look for the light/diet versions of food and drink” and 32% more likely to agree “I always think of the calories in what I eat” – making them a prime target for those companies marketing healthy foods.
Having said that, in spite of their best intentions to slim down, this group are not significantly more likely than the average adult to rate ‘healthy’ as the most important factor when choosing the food that they buy. Quality, price and taste all rank higher for them.
When it comes to reaching this audience through the media, TGI data reveals that they are 23% more likely to agree ‘I cannot resist buying magazines’ and 20% more likely to agree that they tend to buy products from companies who sponsor radio programmes.
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