Respondents in their 40s relied more on food delivery but also cooked more at home. (image: Lotte Department Store)
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — As the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage on, more people are choosing to stay indoors.
Among them, members of the younger generation are increasingly preferring to order food, while the older generation prefers to cook themselves, a recent study showed.
The Korea Health Promotion Institution conducted a survey of 1,031 adults between 20 and 65 years of age, 22 percent of whom placed more orders for food delivery.
Another 21 percent said they were cooking more at home. Others pointed to weight gain (12.5 percent) and less exercise (11.4 percent) as primary changes caused by the pandemic.
There was, however, a difference in perception between individuals below the age of 40 and those over the age of 50.
A bit more than one quarter of respondents in their 40s were ordering food more often, followed by those in their 20s (26.9 percent) and 30s (23.7 percent).
The data also showed that 23.4 percent of respondents in their 40s cooked more at home, followed by those in their 30s (15.6 percent) and 20s (11.9 percent). Respondents in their 40s relied more on food delivery but also cooked more at home.
Most respondents over the age of 50, in contrast, preferred to cook at home. Only 16.3 percent and 12.4 percent of the respondents in their 50s and 60s chose to have their food delivered.
Respondents across all age groups believed they had gained weight following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Among those in their 30s, 16.1 percent believed they had gained weight, followed by those in their 50s (13.2 percent), 20s (12.9 percent), and 40s (10.9 percent).
The study also revealed that 11.5 percent of respondents over the age of 60 pointed to fewer drinking gatherings as a major change following the coronavirus, slightly higher than other age groups.
“The COVID-19 has resulted in weight gain and less exercise,” said Cho In-sung, president of the Korean Health Promotion Institution. “In the meantime, more people are choosing to cook at home, while people are also gathering less for drinks.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
