Around 36% of American families have skipped meals due to financial reasons during the last year according to the fourth wave of the dunnhumby Consumer Trends Tracker (CTT).

The study also found that 40% of consumers shop at multiple supermarkets to find the lowest prices, up 9% from a year ago. 

It also reveals that 30% of Americans in all age groups have skipped meals. In addition, 18-34-year-olds and 35-44-year-olds are the highest meal skippers of all age groups, at 38% and 37%, respectively.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the rate of food-at-home inflation is 7.1%, however, among surveyed shoppers, the perceived figure is 22.6%, more than 15 points higher than the official measure. 

Similarly, perceived inflation has fallen 1.6% since November 2022, whereas actual inflation has dropped 4.9% over the same time period.

Among the more than 8,000 U.S. consumers surveyed online, dunnhumby found that 62% of Americans would have difficulty paying an unexpected expense of $400. That percentage jumps to 75% for consumers aged 18-44 and 72% for families.

"Over this year-long study, we have seen a very troubling trend of nearly a third of all Americans and nearly 40% of younger Americans, skipping meals due to financial concerns. And wave after wave, our research has also shown that 18-44-year-olds are at the epicenter of a food and financial insecurity crisis that shows no signs of abating," said Matt O’Grady, President of Americas for dunnhumby. "Unfortunately, the reduction in SNAP benefits, and the stubbornness of center store prices, there doesn’t appear to be relief in the short term for many Americans, especially those who are already food and financially insecure."

Study highlights

Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and West Virginia continue to stand out for having the highest rate of food (36%) and financial insecurity (70%) in the country. These states also have the highest proportion of children at home compared to other geographic regions in the U.S.

Over half of customers (53%) report social media sites have influenced their grocery purchases in-store or online. Families with children at home (75%) and households heavily engaged with loyalty programs (68%) are two groups even more likely to be influenced by social media. Across all age groups, 37% were influenced by Facebook, 31% by YouTube, and 24% by Instagram.