A new survey from the Pew Research Center reveals a complex portrait of American eating habits in 2025, highlighting how escalating food prices and evolving lifestyles are making healthy eating more challenging for many. This comprehensive analysis sheds light on the balance between taste, convenience, affordability, and healthiness, revealing key insights that resonate even for readers in Thailand navigating their own nutrition landscapes.
As the cost of food continues upward, 90% of surveyed US adults acknowledge that healthy food has become more expensive in recent years. Nearly seven in ten say these price increases make it more difficult to maintain a healthy diet, with lower-income individuals feeling the pinch most acutely. The survey, conducted among 5,123 adults, captures shifting priorities and the struggle to eat healthy in a world saturated by rising obesity, proliferating food delivery options, and ever-changing dietary advice from social media influencers (pewresearch.org).
This matters to Thai readers as Thailand, like the US, is wrestling with growing concerns over non-communicable diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Economic pressures, the spread of convenience food culture, and the popularity of food delivery services have all reshaped eating habits in Thailand, mirroring many of the American trends found in the Pew report. The survey’s insights into how affordability, access, and knowledge impact dietary health offer valuable lessons as Thailand continues its own public health campaigns to promote nutritious eating.
Digging into the findings, the survey reveals that only about two in ten Americans consider their diets “extremely” or “very” healthy, whereas around 59% rate their diet as “somewhat healthy.” Alarmingly, a full 20%—one in five—report that their diets are “not too healthy” or “not at all healthy.” Older adults, those with higher income, and the better educated are more likely to report healthier eating patterns, while younger and lower-income groups express greater struggles.
When choosing what to eat, Americans overwhelmingly prioritize taste: 83% cite it as extremely or very important. Cost is the next major concern, especially for lower-income individuals—three in four in this group say price is their top consideration, compared to just over half (54%) among the wealthier. Healthiness comes third, with just over half (52%) describing it as a leading priority. Convenience trails slightly behind, with 47% highly valuing ease of preparation and access.
These findings mirror experiences in Thailand, where busy urban lifestyles and growing prosperity have made convenience foods and restaurant dining more common. However, home-cooked meals remain the mainstay in both countries. In the US, nearly nine in ten adults eat home-cooked meals at least a few times per week, while only 17% order takeout or delivery, and just 12% dine at restaurants with similar frequency. Crucially, those eating home-cooked meals daily are more likely to describe their diets as very healthy (29% vs. 12% for those who cook less often).
The US survey also illustrates a strong link between the priority placed on healthiness and self-rated diet quality. Among those who say eating healthy food is very important, 35% describe their diet as very healthy, compared to just 3% among those who do not prioritize healthiness. This relationship holds across ethnic, gender, and income divides, but with important nuances: women consistently give greater weight to all priorities—taste, cost, health, and convenience—than men.
For Americans, rising food prices present a formidable challenge. Some 69% report it’s now harder to eat healthy due to increased costs. The financial squeeze is especially acute for the lowest income bracket: 77% say higher prices make healthy eating harder, with nearly half reporting it’s “a lot” more difficult. Still, food access remains relatively strong: about two-thirds of Americans say it’s easy to find healthy food near where they live, though this figure drops among Black, Hispanic, and rural residents.
In terms of knowledge, about half of Americans (49%) are extremely or very confident in knowing which foods are healthy. Unsurprisingly, those with higher education levels show greater confidence. This confidence translates into better food choices: one-third of highly confident individuals describe their diets as very healthy, while just 5% of those lacking confidence do so.
Expert commentary frames these findings within global health concerns. Nutrition experts interviewed for the report stress that readily available, affordable, and convenient healthy food is essential to combating obesity and chronic diseases. Policymakers from both sides of the US political spectrum, including those in positions akin to Thailand’s health ministry, emphasize the need for action: “Efforts to regulate food additives and promote healthy food access are gaining ground, recognizing the public health risks if diet-related diseases go unchecked,” an official stated in the Pew research (pewresearch.org).
For Thailand, these findings hold several implications. The rising cost of fresh produce and healthy groceries, particularly in urban centers like Bangkok, echoes the American situation. Thailand’s own National Health Security Office has prioritized education on healthy diets, while school meal programs have incorporated more fruits and vegetables to address childhood obesity. Yet, health disparities remain persistent between urban and rural populations, and lower-income Thais face greater barriers accessing affordable, nutritious food—paralleling trends described in the US study (who.int).
Culturally, Thailand’s diverse food heritage, with its emphasis on vegetables, grains, and fresh ingredients, has traditionally supported healthy diets. However, as with the US, globalization and lifestyle changes are shifting these patterns. A rise in processed foods, sugary beverages, and fast food outlets adds urgency to the need for public health interventions and targeted nutrition education.
Looking ahead, both the Pew study and Thai public health officials emphasize the importance of making healthy food accessible, affordable, and appealing. Potential developments include regulatory interventions (such as taxes on sugary drinks and bans on harmful additives), expanded subsidies for fruits and vegetables, investment in urban agriculture, and more aggressive public campaigns to improve food literacy. Thailand’s own fight to prevent a surge of diet-related disease could draw actionable lessons from American strategies, including robust local food networks, transparent nutrition labeling, and education campaigns tailored to children and working adults (bangkokpost.com).
For Thai readers, the takeaway is clear: economic realities and busy lifestyles make healthy eating a challenge everywhere, not just in the US. Staying aware of local options for affordable fresh food, prioritizing home-cooked meals when possible, and seeking out nutrition information from trusted sources can help families maintain healthier diets, even in the face of inflation and changing food environments. Policymakers, health educators, and community leaders must continue working together to ensure that healthy food is within everyone’s reach—for the health of individuals and for the country as a whole.
For more detailed data and the full survey methodology, visit the Pew Research Center’s report on Americans on Healthy Food and Eating.