The degree of understanding, perceptions, and attitudes of Greek consumers towards the issue of healthy eating was examined by a study conducted by the Center of Excellence in Food, Tourism & Leisure of the American College of Greece as part of the ACG150 initiative. The nationwide survey was conducted in collaboration with the company Hellenic Research House (HRH) on a representative sample of 510 men and women aged between 18 and 65 years old from December 1st to December 15th, 2021. Data was collected online, recruited from HRH’s nationwide household panel.
Obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, and limited appetite for vegetarianism
According to the data obtained from the research, 47% of the sample appears to have a weight problem. Indicatively, 36% appear overweight, while 17% of the survey participants appear to be obese. Simultaneously, 31% suffer from a certain chronic disease, with hypertension (9.3%) and some form of cardiovascular disease (4.2%) being the most common. In addition, 25.1% of the participants declare themselves to be regular smokers – smoking at least one cigarette a day. At the same time, alternative dietary options such as vegetarian (2%) and vegan (1%) diets appear to have low penetration in our country, with 84% of the survey participants declaring that they consume all types of food without restrictions.
Parental efforts amidst temptation: Sweets and savory snacks stocked in household cabinets
The data obtained regarding nutritional education in the Greek family are of interest: 57% of the sample stated that there are sweets at home “very often or always during the week” and 42% said the same for salty snacks. However, only 40% of those with children allow them to consume sweet or salty snacks “very often or always during the week” and only 24% of them reward their child with sweet or salty snacks “very often or always during the week”.
Healthy eating is associated with tradition and moderation
A large part of the public equates healthy eating with consuming salad/vegetables (39%) and fruit (34%), and the reduced consumption of fat (25%), meat (15%) and sugar (12%). On the other hand, a significant section of the public equates healthy eating with balanced eating, “moderation” in food consumption (29%). Regarding on-the-spot definitions of the term “healthy diet”, the Greeks offered some very close to the scientifically valid meaning of the term, but also more varied definitions, such as “a small portion of everything, local products if possible, and not processed, no sugar , no butter and oil in moderation, no animal fats” or “home cooked with purely sourced ingredients, without chemicals”, equating pure authentic ingredients, home preparation and the lack of processing, with healthy eating.
“Moderate” interest in healthy eating
The participants’ responses regarding the importance of healthy eating in their lives reveal a public opinion on the matter that is rather less aware and more “confused”. It is typical that while only 23% “agrees or completely agrees” with the statement “I always follow a healthy and balanced diet”, 34% of Greeks “disagree or completely disagree” with the statement “I eat what I like and am not particularly concerned about how healthy my food is.” Overall, the generally moderate importance given to healthy eating is indicative of the diverse opinions and attitudes within Greek society. This can be partly explained by the rather moderately intense concern expressed by Greeks regarding their health status, as only 34% of them “agree or strongly agree” with the statement “I think about my health a lot”.
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (7-point scale %)
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (7-point scale %)
Greek dietary habits immune to influences?
Based on the aforementioned, it is not surprising that the power exerted by various means of influence on the Greeks in order to change their eating habits is also moderate. Indicatively, only the importance of specialized groups of influence, such as doctors, is considered relatively high. On the flip side, both convenience or economic reasons, as well as influences from close social circles, do not seem to exert a serious power of influence on Greek citizens. Distinctively, in the age of social media, means of influence such as celebrities and influencers have the least influence on the general population, which is not surprising as there is little influence from health risk (“I would change my diet if there was a serious medical reason”) as well!
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (7-point scale %)
These are the 6 types of Greek consumers
Based on the findings, the researchers distinguished 6 different types of Greeks based on their attitude towards healthy eating:
- Fanatics
- Supporters
- Contrarians
- Indifferent
- Skeptics and
- Undecided
See below the characteristics and percentages of the 6 consumer types.
These six types differ in several factors: In terms of sex, the Fanatics/Supporters group includes more women, in terms of their physical health status, the Contrarians include more obese people, in terms of eating habits, the Contrarians state that they consume all types of food with no restrictions and the Fanatics/Supporters cluster follow the Mediterranean diet at a much higher rate, and in terms of how they define a healthy diet, the Fanatics/Supporters include salads/vegetables and fruit in the definition at a rate well above the sample average.
For more details, see the full research and presentation in Greek here:
