Declining Consumption of White Meat                                                                                          Back

Gallup Pakistan routinely conducts surveys about the lifestyles of the ordinary people as these polls help us understand them better. These surveys include a wide array of questions, ranging from the tea bands that people prefer to their favorite fruits. The following data pertains to the consumption of meat by the people.

In a survey carried out in 2005, the people were asked to name the type of meat that they personally preferred. In response, 49% of the respondents said that they preferred chicken, 22% like mutton and 28% claimed that they liked beef best. In response to the question, ‘Which meat is mostly cooked in your house, white meat or red meat?’, 48% of the people indicated that white meat was more popular in their household while 52% stated that they preferred red meat.

Similar questions were presented to the respondents in 2006 which indicated that the consumption of chicken, and white meat in general, had declined. 31% of those questioned stated that they preferred chicken over other forms of meat, 33% liked mutton and 36% stated that liked beef best. In response to a similar question, 35% of the people asserted that chicken was the most commonly cooked meat in their house, 21% told Gallup that mutton was more popular and 44% said that mostly beef was cooked in their house.

The respondents were also asked about their views on the consumption of frozen meat in 2006. When faced with the question, ‘In some households meat is bought once for a period of time for instance a month or a week while in others, it is preferred to buy fresh time every time. What is the case in your household?’, the majority of the people, standing at 72%, stated that they  bought meat when needed. 23%, on the other hand, said that they bought meat once and stocked it for a period of time and 5% claimed that meat was not consumed in their house. Similarly, 79% asserted that they preferred to buy fresh meat from the butcher’s every time as compared to 11% who bought frozen meat and 10% who were indifferent between the two. 43% of those questioned were of the view that frozen meat is bad for health and should be avoided while 44% believed that it is not harmful and that there is nothing wrong with consuming frozen meat. 12%, however, said that they did not know.

These surveys indicate a decline in the consumption of white meat. More and more people seem to prefer red meat over chicken in spite of the ongoing debate about red meat being harmful for health. On the other hand, even though frozen meat has become more popular over the past few years, the majority of the people still seem to favor fresh meat.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.

Groceries                                                                                                                                                    Back

In an attempt to understand the lifestyles and the attitudes of the people, Gallup Pakistan conducts regular surveys on ordinary day to day matters. They way people shop says a lot about them and the following summarizes Gallup’s findings on grocery shopping. These results have been collected through regular weekly polls and surveys.

In a survey conducted in 2005, the respondents were questioned about the frequency of their grocery shopping trips. 40% of them stated that they purchased groceries on a monthly basis, 19% did so once a week and 41% stated that they bought the groceries whenever the need arose. Amongst those who did their grocery shopping on a monthly basis, 72% did it in the first week of the month, 20% bought their groceries in the second week, 2% did it in the third week and 3% waited till the last week. 1%, on the other hand, could not recall.

The survey also revealed that in the majority of the households, that is, in 59% of them, men were responsible for grocery shopping. In contrast, women ran this errand in 38% of the households and children were given this responsibility in 2% of them. On the other hand, women seemed to have the upper hand in the deciding the grocery brands that were purchased in 61% of the households. The men’s choice was given preference in 31%, children’s choice was more important in 3% of the cases and relatives’ advice was given significance in 1%. 2% of the respondents said that they relied on the shopkeepers’ suggestions. 38% of the people stated that they bought these items from the neighboring shops, 48% preferred to go to big stores, 8% preferred utility stores and 6% relied on the weekly bazaars.

Another survey, carried out in 2006, revealed similar results. In 2006, 41% of the people stated that they did their grocery shopping on a monthly basis, 22% did so weekly and 37% purchased the grocery items whenever necessary. Amongst those who bought these items once a month, 63% purchased them in the first week of the month, 26% did so in the second week, 5% did their shopping in the third week and 2% waited till the last week. 4%, on the other hand, said that they did not know. 48% identified neighboring shops as their primary point of purchase, 36% preferred big stores, 13% liked to go to utility stores and 3% purchased these goods from the weekly bazaars.

In order to better comprehend the importance of utility stores in comparison to general stores, the respondents were also given a list of grocery items and asked to name the ones that they bought from each type of store. 22% said that they bought sugar from utility stores, 14% bought soaps and detergents from there and 15% preferred them when purchasing oil or ghee. The percentage of people who went to utility stores to buy rice, pulses and/or flour stood at 17%. In comparison, 59% of the respondents preferred general stores when shopping for rice, 61% favored them when they bought pulses and/or flour, 65% purchased soaps and detergents from there, 63% bought oil and ghee from general stores and 57% opted for them when procuring sugar. These figures are a clear indicator of the popularity of general stores over utility stores. In spite of the promised low prices, utility stores seem to have failed in making much of an impact. Better advertising and more stores might help solve this problem.

The survey conducted in 2006 also pointed out another problem. 72% of the people questioned revealed that they used plastic bags to carry these grocery items while 16% used fabric bags. In comparison, only 6% used paper bags and another 6% used baskets. The problem might seem to be an insignificant one but is a major threat to the preservation of the environment.

Such excessive usage of plastic bags comes as a surprise as the majority of the people seem to be concerned about the preservation of the environment. In the same survey, the people were also asked if they would be willing to pay a slightly higher price for environment-friendly products. 53% of those questioned replied in the affirmative, 35% said that they would not be willing to pay the premium and 12% said that they did not know. Lack of awareness appears to be the central issue. The media seems to have totally abandoned the subject at a time when it is crucial to teach the people about this threat and encourage them to discontinue the use of plastic bags.

Last but not the least, 50 % of the respondents who took the survey in 2006 stated that the men were responsible for grocery shopping in their households. In contrast, women appeared to have taken this responsibility in 42% of the households. This data, when compared to that gathered in 2005, suggests a decline in the number of household where men shopped for groceries. This appears to have become a popular trend in the past few years. It occurs like women have started taking greater responsibility outside the house as well.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.