Community Corner
Report: Family Dinners Still in Style
Life may feel faster, but Americans are still taking the time to sit down together for supper.
by James Warden
Family dinners are one of the most special parts of the holiday season—and even everyday ones aren’t rare, according to a Gallup study released the day after Christmas.
The study reported that a slight majority of families eat together at least six days a week. On average, families share 5.1 dinners a week.
Find out what's happening in Yorktown-Somerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The average is down slightly from the 5.4 dinners per week reported in 1997, the earliest year in the report. Yet it’s the same as the average found in 2001, 2005 and 2013.
By contrast, other Gallup studies done between 2003 and 2008 found that Americans eat out at a restaurant 1.2 to 1.4 times per week, on average.
Find out what's happening in Yorktown-Somerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“The dining table may be larger at holiday celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas than at other times, with more generations than usual represented, but the practice of families gathering at dinnertime to share a meal remains a routine part of American parents' daily lives,” the report stated. “As younger parents are even a little more likely than older ones to regularly eat dinner as a family, this seemingly traditional aspect of American life will likely continue for the foreseeable future.”
- (Some users on mobile browsers may not be able to see the chart above. Click here if that’s the case for you.)
How often do you eat dinner with your family? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.