The bar chart compares how often people in the USA ate at fast-food restaurants in 2003, 2006, and 2013.
Overall, eating fast food once a week and once or twice a month were the two most common habits throughout the period. While the largest proportion of Americans ate fast food once a week in 2003 and 2006, once or twice a month became the most common frequency by 2013. By contrast, eating at fast-food restaurants every day or never remained the least popular choices in all three years.
In 2003, 31% of Americans ate at fast-food restaurants once a week, narrowly exceeding the figure for those eating there once or twice a month (30%). The proportions for several times a week and a few times a year were considerably lower, at 17% and 13%, respectively, whereas only 4% ate fast food every day and 5% never did so.
By 2006, the percentage of people eating fast food once a week had risen slightly to 33%, while the figure for once or twice a month fell to 25%. In contrast, by 2013, the latter category had increased markedly to 33%, overtaking the weekly group, which declined to 28%. The remaining categories changed only marginally, with 15-16% eating fast food several times a week or a few times a year, and around 3-4% doing so every day or never.