What do we spread on our bread? Young people prefer butter, older people prefer margarine

By: Trademagazin Date: 2026. 03. 20. 12:49

🎧 Hallgasd a cikket: Nyelv: Sebesség: 1.05×

It has long been a recurring topic of debate whether to put butter or margarine on bread if we want to eat healthily. However, it seems that the issue has not been clearly decided among Hungarian consumers either: the population is strongly divided on this topic. According to a representative éTREND research by Impetus Research, 37% of Hungarians aged 18–69 primarily use butter for sandwiches, while 36% prefer margarine. A significant portion of consumers do not clearly support either product: every sixth Hungarian (18%) uses butter and margarine alternately, and another 9% either do not consume either product or could not give a clear answer to the question.

Generational differences in bread

The data shows a particularly interesting picture when we examine each age group separately. There are marked differences between generations.

Margarine is preferred by older generations, while butter is more popular among younger people. Butter is most commonly used among 26-35 year olds: 45% of this group use butter mainly or exclusively for sandwiches, while only 26% prefer margarine.

However, with age, the role of butter gradually decreases, and more and more people reach for margarine. Among those aged 50–69, only 31% prefer butter, while 46% spread margarine on bread (15% use the two products interchangeably).

The youngest age group, 18–25 year olds, behave somewhat differently from other generations. They also consume lower amounts of butter and margarine in sandwiches. 36% of these respondents primarily use butter, 26% choose margarine, while there is a relatively high proportion of those who do not consume either product regularly (18%) or who use both (21%).

The situation is slightly different next to the stove

When it comes to baking or cooking, margarine has a slight advantage.

Of those whose households regularly bake or cook, 32% use margarine primarily or exclusively in recipes, while 29% prefer butter. Nearly a fifth (19%) of respondents use both ingredients, while 21% could not give a clear answer.

Generational differences can also be observed in this category. The general trend is that the younger someone is, the higher the proportion of people who choose butter for baking or cooking. For example, among 18-25 year olds, 44% use butter primarily, while only 24% use margarine. In contrast, among the oldest, margarine comes to the fore. Among 60-69 year olds, only 21% can be considered explicitly “pro-butter”, while 35% prefer to use margarine for baking or cooking.