The bar chart illustrates the frequency with which people in the USA consumed fast food between 2003 and 2013. Six categories of eating habits are shown, ranging from “every day” to “never.”
Overall, the majority of Americans ate fast food either once a week or once or twice a month throughout the period, while daily or no consumption was consistently the least common. Although there were fluctuations across the years, the mid-range frequencies remained dominant.
In 2003, around 31% of people ate fast food once a week, and a similar proportion, roughly 30%, did so once or twice a month. By 2006, the weekly figure peaked at approximately 33%, making it the highest proportion in the entire period, whereas the monthly category dipped slightly. In 2013, however, the trend reversed: the weekly rate declined to about 27%, while monthly consumption rose to its peak of around 33%.
Less frequent consumption patterns—such as eating fast food a few times a year or never—remained relatively stable, with figures ranging from 10% to 15% for the former and only about 4% for the latter. Meanwhile, daily consumption was consistently rare, at just 3-5% across all three years. Eating fast food several times a week showed more variability, reaching 20% in 2006 before dropping again in 2013.
In summary, Americans largely favoured eating fast food occasionally rather than habitually or not at all, with a gradual shift over time from weekly to monthly consumption.