EWCB 2022: Appendix 1 - Eating Well Choosing Better questionnaire

Good morning/afternoon/evening, I am _____________ from Ipsos, a market and social research company.  We are currently conducting a research study about consumer attitudes and behaviours towards healthier food. We are conducting this research on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA).  Your input would be of great value to us.  There are no right or wrong answers, and please be assured that the information collected from you will be treated completely confidentially.  Your answers will be combined with information from other participants and only the total results will be used for reports that will be provided to the FSA. 

The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. 

Would you be happy to take part in this research? 
1. Yes 
2. No 
 
Thank you for agreeing to complete this survey.  Before we begin, if you would like to read our privacy policy then you can access it at <insert link>. 
I also must draw to your attention that within this survey we ask information about your household and income, just to ensure that we speak to a range of people within Northern Ireland. Are you happy to proceed with this research on this basis? 
1. Yes 
2. No 
 
I'd also like to inform you that Ipsos is a member of the Market Research Society. All information that you give us will be treated in the strictest confidence and your identity will not be passed on to a third party or connected to your answers in any way. 
Before continuing with this survey, I need to check that you are eligible to take part. 
In the last 12 months, who is typically responsible for the food shopping for your household?  Please include both online and in store food shopping. 

• I am responsible for all or most of the food shopping   
• I share the responsibility with someone else  
• Someone else in my household  
• Someone else outside of my household e.g., a relative or carer 
• Each person is responsible for their own food shopping 
• Don’t know 

Which of the following best describes you…? 

• Male 
• Female 
• In another way 
• Refused/prefer not to say 

What is your age? 
[TYPE IN] 

Can you confirm your postcode? (If required: this is just so we can check that we have up-to-date records) 
[TYPE IN] 

Which of these regions best describes where you live? 

• Belfast City 
• Greater Belfast 
• Co. Down 
• Co. Armagh 
• Co. Tyrone/ Co. Fermanagh 
• Co. Derry 
• Co. Antrim 
• None of these 

Which of these best describes the area you live in? 

• Open countryside  
• A hamlet 
• A village 
• A small town in the countryside 
• A medium town 
• A large town 
• Inner city 
• Outer city (Suburban) 

The Chief Income Earner is the person in your household with the largest income, including you. If the Chief Income Earner is retired but still has the largest income via an occupational pension, please answer for their most recent occupation. 

If the Chief Income Earner is not in paid employment but has been out of work for less than 6 months, please answer for their most recent occupation. 

1. Self Employed / Business Owner 
2. Skilled manual worker (for example, Skilled Bricklayer, Carpenter, Plumber, Painter, Bus/ Ambulance Driver, HGV driver, AA patrolman, pub/bar worker, etc.) 
3. Semi or unskilled manual work (for example, Manual workers, all apprentices to be skilled trades, Caretaker, Park keeper, non-HGV driver, shop assistant) 
4. Supervisory or clerical/junior managerial/professional/ administrative (e.g., Office worker, Student Doctor, Police Constable, Firefighter, Foreman with 25+ employees, salesperson, etc.) 
5. Intermediate managerial/professional/administrative (for example, Newly qualified (under 3 years) doctor, Solicitor, Board director small organisation, middle manager in large organisation, teacher, principal officer in civil service / local government, military lieutenant) 
6. Higher managerial/professional/administrative (for example, Established doctor, Solicitor, Architect, Board Director in a large organisation (200+ employees), head teacher, police/fire chief, top level civil servant / public service employee, high ranking military officer) 
7. Casual worker – not in permanent employment 
8. Student 
9. Housewife / Homemaker 
10. Retired and living on state pension 
11. Unemployed or not working due to long-term sickness 
12. Full-time carer of other household member 
 
How many employees do you have? 

1. None – just me 
2. 1 – 5 
3. 6 – 25 
4. 25+ 
 
Do you have any children aged under 16 living at home currently? 

1. Yes 
2. No 
 
Do you have any grandchildren aged under 16 that you purchase food for at least once a month?  By ‘food’ we mean food used to prepare whole meals and treats/snacks. 

1. Yes 
2. No 
 
And how old are your children and grandchildren? 
1. 0-3 
2. 4-6 
3. 7-10 
11-13 
14-16 
 
You qualify for our survey! Thank you for taking part.  

We would now like to ask you some questions about yourself and your opinion on things relating to food. There are no right or wrong answers here, we are just interested in what you think.   

We would like you to take a moment to think about healthy eating. 

What does healthy eating mean to you?  

On a scale of 1-5 where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree… 

To what extent would you agree or disagree that your personal eating habits are healthy?  

To what extent would you agree or disagree that your children’s eating habits are healthy? 

To what extent would you agree or disagree that your grandchildren’s eating habits are healthy? 

1. Strongly disagree  
2. Tend to disagree  
3. Neither agree nor disagree  
4. Tend to agree  
5. Strongly agree  
6. Don’t know 
 
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?   

• I understand what is healthier and what is less healthy 
• I actively seek out healthier options when shopping 
• I actively seek out healthier options when eating out 

1. Strongly disagree  
2. Tend to disagree  
3. Neither agree nor disagree  
4. Tend to agree  
5. Strongly agree  
6. Don’t know 
 
What do you think the Government recommended daily calorie intake is for males? If you think you know but aren’t sure, please let us know what you think it is. 
[TYPE IN] 

What do you think the Government recommended daily calorie intake is for females? If you think you know but aren’t sure, please let us know what you think it is. 
[TYPE IN] 

In a typical month, where do you shop for food? 

• Supermarket (including mini supermarkets for example, Metro/local) 
• Online from a supermarket (including home delivery and click and collect) 
• Home delivery not from a supermarket (for example, vegetable boxes, Deliveroo, Hello Fresh) 
• Local/corner shop, newsagents, or garage forecourt 
• Independent greengrocer, butcher, baker, or fishmonger 
• Market/farmers’ market/farm shop 
• Other (please specify) 
• None of these 

How, if at all, do you tend to find out how much sugar, salt, saturated fat, or calories are in a product when food shopping in store?  

• look at the ingredient list 
• look at information on the front of the pack (e.g. claims) 
• use the traffic light labelling system  
• look at the nutritional information usually found on the back-of-the-pack 
• other (please specify)  
• I don’t try to find this out 

How, if at all, do you tend to find out how much sugar, salt, saturated fat, or calories are in a product when food shopping online?  

• look at the ingredient list 
• look at information on the front of the pack (e.g. claims) 
• use the traffic light labelling system  
• look at the nutritional information usually found on the back-of-the-pack 
• other (please specify)  
• I don’t try to find this out 

Thinking about when you are choosing food whilst shopping, some foods show traffic light labels on the front of packets/packaging 

Here is an example image of the traffic light label 
Do you recognise this traffic light image? 
 
1. Yes 
2. No 
 
Do you use this when shopping for food? 
1. Yes 
2. No 
 
On a scale of 1-5 where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree, to what extent would you agree or disagree with the following statement:  

I understand what traffic light labels on the front of food packaging are for.  

1. Strongly disagree  
2. Tend to disagree  
3. Neither agree nor disagree  
4. Tend to agree  
5. Strongly agree  
6. Don’t know 
 
What do you think these traffic lights are for? 
OPEN QUESTION 

How often, if at all, do you choose ….? 

• Foods with ‘healthier’ traffic light colours (green/amber) 
• Foods with a lower percentage of my recommended daily calorie intake 

Which, if any, of these do you do when buying food for yourself? 

Which, if any, of these do you do when buying food for your children? 

Which, if any, of these do you do when buying food for your grandchildren? 
 
1. I look at the calories next to the traffic light label 
2. I use the traffic light label to understand the amount of Fat in products 
3. I use the traffic light label to understand the amount of Saturated fat in products 
4. I use the traffic light label to understand the amount of Sugar in products 
5. I use the traffic light label to understand the amount of Salt in products 
6. I use the traffic light label to find information on portion size 
7. I don’t do any of these 
 
Overall, for each of the following, how easy or difficult is it for you to choose healthier food and meals? 

• when buying from a supermarket in-store 
• when buying from a supermarket online 
• when buying from a local/corner shop, newsagent, or garage forecourt
• when eating in  restaurants and/or pubs
• when eating in my staff restaurant at work 
• when preparing meals at home 
• when buying food from a vending machine 
• when buying from cafés/sandwich shop e.g., supermarket cafés/high street coffee shops 
• when buying from a take-away 
• when buying from/eating in a fast food restaurant 
• food outlet in leisure facilities for example, cinemas, bowling alleys,  entertainment centres 

1. Very difficult 

2. Quite difficult

3. Quite easy 

4. Very easy 

5. Not applicable 

Where, if in any setting, would you like to see healthier products? 

1. Supermarkets 

2. Local/ corner shop, newsagents, or garage forecourts 

3. Restaurants and/or pubs 

4. Staff restaurant at work 

5. Vending machines 

6. Cafés/Sandwich shops for example, supermarket cafés/high street coffee shops 

7. Fast food restaurants 

8. Takeaways 

9. Food outlets in leisure facilities for example, cinemas, bowling alleys, entertainment centres 

10. Other (please specify) 

11. None of these 

Have you ever noticed calories being shown on a food menu in any of these places? 

1. Restaurants/pubs 

2. Staff restaurant at work 

3. Cafés/Sandwich shops for example, supermarket cafés/high street coffee shops 

4. Fast food restaurant 

5. Takeaways 

6. Food outlets in leisure facilities for example, cinemas, bowling alleys, entertainment centres 

7. Other (please specify) 

8. None of these 

How often, if at all, do calories shown on a food menu influence your decision of what to eat?  

• in restaurants/pubs 
• staff restaurant at work 
• in cafés/Sandwich shops for example, supermarket cafés/high street coffee shops
• in fast food restaurant 
• in takeaways 
• food outlets in leisure facilities for example, cinemas, bowling alleys, entertainment centres 

1. It never influences my decision  
2. Not very often  
3. Every now & then  
4. Most times  
5. It always influences my decision 
 
In what venues, if any, would you like to see calories being shown on a food menu? 

Restaurants/pubs 

1. Staff restaurant at work 
2. Cafés/Sandwich shops for example, supermarket cafés/high street coffee shops 
3. Fast food restaurant 
4. Takeaways 
5. Food outlets in leisure facilities for example, cinemas, bowling alleys, entertainment centres 
6. Other (please specify) 
7. None of these 
 
Thinking about when you are shopping for/choosing food products, in particular manufactured products such as sauces, cereals, meals, snacks, and puddings… 

How likely or unlikely would you be to buy these options compared to a regular version of products? (for example, for sauces, cereals, meals, snacks and puddings) 

• reduced sugar products
• reduced saturated fat products 
• reduced salt products
• smaller portion sizes of sugary snacks/meals
• smaller portion sizes of snacks/meals high in saturated fat 
• smaller portion sizes of snacks/meals high in salt 

1. Much less likely to buy it  
2. A little less likely to buy it  
3. It wouldn’t change  
4. A little more likely to buy it  
5. Much more likely to buy it 
 
Which, if any, would you like to see more of when you buy food? 

1. Reduced sugar products 
2. Reduced saturated fat products 
3. Reduced salt products 
4. Products with a maximum limit on calories (e.g., chocolate bars, sweets, slices of cake, croissants, biscuits) 
5. Smaller portion sizes of sugary snacks/meals 
6. Smaller portion sizes of snacks / meals high in saturated fat 
8. Smaller portion sizes of snacks / meals high in salt 
9. None of these 
 
Almost finished! Thank you for your opinions so far. Now we would just like to ask a final question about yourself.  
 
Please select the range which best describes your annual household income? 
If you’re not sure, your best guess is fine. 
 
1. Under £10,000 
2. £10,000-£19,999 
3. £20,000-£29,999 
4. £30,000-£39,999 
5. £40,000-£49,999 
6. £50,000-£59,999 
7. £60,000-£69,999 
8. £70,000-£79,999 
9. £80,000-£89,999 
10. £90,000-£99,999 
11. £100,000+ 
12. Not sure / Don’t know 
13. Would rather not say 
 
Thank you for your participation in this survey which is being conducted on behalf of the Food Standards Agency. 
Would you be willing for us to contact you if we have any further questions about the interview? 

• Yes 
• No 
• Refused/Prefer not to answer 
• Don’t know