- The HelloFresh Table Matters Report reveals how mealtime conversations fare compared to 10 years ago
- The global pandemic (46%), exam results (20%) and, mental health (16%) were some of the most popular dinner time conversations in comparison to a decade ago where the popularity of Facebook (27%), the iPad launch (23%) and even Justin Bieber (17%) were significant talking points
- Almost two thirds (62%) of parents have learnt more about their kids thanks to spending more time together at dinner
- Almost one quarter (22%) of families in Yorkshire wait for the dinner table to approach meaningful conversations
A third (33%) of parents say they have had more purposeful conversations with their children because of more frequent meals together a report from HelloFresh has revealed – and almost half (47%) agree that conversations overall are becoming more meaningful than before.
Increased access to live global information and a deluge of news and social media feeds has led to a more naturally inquisitive younger generation. The most popular topic in August – September 2020 has been revealed as, unsurprisingly, the global pandemic (46%), but more interestingly exam results (20%), and mental health (16%), vs 2010s conversation highlights of Facebook (27%), the iPad launch (23%) and Justin Bieber (17%).
That’s not to say the younger generation is necessarily more worried and less interested in celebrities and social media, they are just more accepting of previously considered taboo subjects such as mental health and societal issues.
Over one quarter (28%) said that other dinner time topics involved discussing the future, whilst life goals (20%) and social injustice (9%) are also high up on the agenda for families with 4 to 16 year olds. Almost one quarter (32%) admitted they feel most comfortable speaking about more meaningful conversations around mealtimes.
The report reveals that children also school their parents too, with (78%) of parents admitting they learnt something new from their children up to four times per week, and almost one third (32%) think the dinner table always offers the opportunity to talk about learning. Almost two thirds (63%) of parents even admitted that their inquisitive kids have put them on the spot with general knowledge questions that they’ve had to google the answers to.
Thanks to lockdown, parents say they are now able to eat together up to 15 times each week (14%), and as a result, over half (54%) of parents say they will now consider changing their routine once the kids go back to school to make more time to continue this new family bonding experience.
When asked why they’ll be changing their dinner time routine when the kids go back to school, (74%) of respondents said it was because eating together makes them feel closer as a family unit, and over half (52%) said it’s because they have enjoyed the new conversations that they’ve had with the kids.
Laurent Guillemain, UK CEO at HelloFresh commented: “The HelloFresh Table Matters Report has shown that families have re-connected over the past few months, and that the dinner table isn’t just for meals. It’s a place to come together, learn and have meaningful conversations. With over 30 recipes to select from each week, including familiar family favourites, HelloFresh has a variety of dishes on offer for every dinner time discussion.”
The HelloFresh Table Matters Report is part of an initiative from HelloFresh to encourage meals with meaning at the dinner table. There will be more to follow over the upcoming months.
