The latest finding is from a wider survey into British breakfast eating habits, which also found four in ten Britons regularly skip breakfast. Nearly half of breakfast skippers said they were not hungry in the morning, while 26% said they did not have enough time for breakfast.
As for skipping dinner, 23% of British adults said they did so at least once a week. Not having enough time was also a popular reason for skipping dinner, accounting for 15% of missed evening meals. Nearly a quarter (23%) said they did not eat dinner because they tended to snack late at night.
Canadean research manager Michael Hughes said: “It is becoming increasingly common for people within the same household to sit down at different times of the evening to enjoy dinner, whilst some may bypass it completely in favour of snacking.”
The market researcher says that busy lifestyles and changing household structures are behind the demise of the daily dinner routine. It found that fewer than half (45%) of all Britons sat down for dinner with other family members every day of the week, while 22% of adults ate processed food like ready meals at least three times a week.
“The image of a UK household consisting of two parents and children sitting down to enjoy dinner together is becoming a thing of the past. Busy lifestyles and changing household structures means that meal time occasions are becoming increasingly fragmented,” said Hughes.
As well as different family structures, longer working hours and longer commutes, the market researcher said that spending more time online was also eating into the time that people have for cooking.