The bar chart illustrates the weekly expenditure on fast food by different income groups in Britain in 1990, while the line graph shows the consumption trends of three types of fast food—hamburgers, fish & chips, and pizza—over a 20-year period from 1970 to 1990.
Overall, it is evident that hamburgers were the most popular fast food across all income groups in 1990, especially among the high-income earners, while pizza had the lowest expenditure among all groups. Moreover, while the consumption of hamburgers and fish & chips increased significantly over the period, pizza consumption saw a decline.
In detail, high-income earners spent the most on hamburgers, with an average of around 43 pence per person per week. In comparison, they spent less on fish & chips (17 pence) and pizza (20 pence). For those with an average income, hamburgers still commanded the highest spending at 33 pence per week, followed by fish & chips at 25 pence, and pizza at just 12 pence. Conversely, the low-income group spent the most on fish & chips, at 17 pence per week, with hamburger expenditure slightly lower at 15 pence and pizza at 11 pence.
Looking at the consumption trends from 1970 to 1990, initially, pizza was the most consumed fast food in 1970, at around 300 grams per person. However, its consumption decreased steadily over the years, reaching approximately 200 grams in 1990. In contrast, fish & chips, which started at around 90 grams per person in 1970, experienced a dramatic rise, peaking at 500 grams by 1990. Hamburger consumption also saw a significant increase, starting at just 40 grams per person in 1970 and surpassing pizza in 1985 before reaching around 300 grams in 1990.