Young Hungarians cook at home – fast food is not trendy

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 05. 28. 11:37

The majority of Hungarian young people rarely or never go to fast food restaurants, preferring to cook at home – according to a survey conducted in January 2025 by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium Youth Research Institute, which surveyed a thousand Hungarian young people aged 15-39 using an online questionnaire.

According to the research, 79% of 15-39 year olds rarely or never eat fast food. The highest proportion of people aged 15–17 (26%) and those from Budapest (31%) choose this solution, while this habit clearly fades into the background in other age groups and places of residence.

Your own kitchen is the new normal

Cooking at home is dominant not only in terms of finances, but also in terms of habits: 78% of respondents prepare food for themselves or their family members at least once a week. The 25–29 age group stands out in this, where 88% cook regularly, but even among the youngest (15–17 years old), every second young person cooks at least weekly. Although daily cooking is typical for only 7.8% of the youngest, 38–40% of other age groups cook on a daily basis.

They stay at home instead of going to restaurants

Not only fast food restaurants, but also traditional restaurants are losing popularity: 90% of young people rarely or never visit classic restaurants. Gender differences are also significant: only 5% of women, while 12% of men, regularly go to restaurants.

Home delivery is not common either

Food ordered to your home is not widespread either: two-thirds of those surveyed rarely use this option, and 15% never order food. Those who order on a weekly basis live primarily in larger cities: in Budapest and in cities with county rights, 20–26% order regularly, while in smaller settlements this proportion is only 9%, presumably due to the limited availability of services.

It’s not cool to go to a fast food restaurant

There are also marked differences of opinion in the assessment of the trendiness of fast food: 63% of young people do not consider fast food restaurants to be trendy at all, and only 10% think that it is cool to go to such places. Interestingly, among the youngest, 15–17 year olds, this rate is 22%, or twice the average.

The results of the research clearly reflect that home-cooked food continues to play a decisive role among Hungarian youth, and traditional forms of eating and awareness are pushing fast, convenient solutions into the background.