【Survey on Individual Dining】Over 30% of people living with others sometimes eat different meals at home for dinner. The main reason is "different food preferences or dislikes" at about 45%.

＜＜ TOPICS ＞＞

For those living with others, the situations where they eat alone at home are "weekday lunch" for nearly 40% and "weekday breakfast" for over 30%.

Even among cohabitants, over 30% sometimes eat different meals at home for dinner. The reason for different menus is "different food preferences or dislikes" at about 45%.

MyVoiceCom Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Shintaro Shimizu) conducted its 4th internet survey on "individual dining" from April 1st to 7th, 2026.

We asked about situations and reasons for eating alone at home, and the usage of small-portion food types. We are pleased to announce the survey results.

【Survey Target】 MyVoiceCom's survey monitors

【Survey Method】 Internet survey (net research)

【Survey Period】 April 1st to April 7th, 2026 【Number of Respondents】 10,981 people

【Detailed Survey Results】 https://myel.myvoice.jp/products/detail/33305

◆ Situations of eating alone at home

Even among cohabitants, the situations where they eat alone at home (multiple answers) are "weekday lunch" at 38.8% and "weekday breakfast" at 31.9%.

The percentage for "weekday lunch" is higher among women in their 30s to 60s, especially about 55% for women in their 50s.

* For more details, including the continuation of the graph, please see 【Detailed Survey Results】.

◆ Frequency and reasons for eating dinner alone at home

Among those living with others, over 20% sometimes eat dinner alone at home. Of these, nearly 60% eat alone 4-5 times a week or more.

The reasons for eating alone (multiple answers) are "cohabitants are sometimes home, but their lifestyle patterns/rhythms are different" at 47.2% and "cohabitants are sometimes not home at mealtime" at 44.0%, which are the top two items.

In two-generation households, "different eating styles" is slightly higher than in other groups.

◆ Situations of eating different meals at home for dinner

Over 30% of people who responded that they sometimes eat different meals at home for dinner (total of "often" and "sometimes") are in this situation.

The percentage is higher among younger age groups, especially women in their teens to 30s, where it is in the 50% range. Also, in two-generation and three-generation households, it exceeds 40% respectively.

◆ Reasons for eating different meals at home for dinner

We asked people who sometimes eat different meals at home for dinner about their reasons (multiple answers).

"Different food preferences or dislikes" is 45.1%. This is followed by "different eating styles" at 25.3% and "different eating times or living hours, so each prepares their own" at 18.0%.

"Wanting to eat different things depending on mood/physical condition at the time" is higher among women, surpassing men.

"What is easy to eat or can be eaten differs depending on age and physical constitution, such as children, adults, and the elderly" is slightly higher among women in their teens to 40s and men in their 30s to 40s.

* For more details, including the continuation of the graph, please see 【Detailed Survey Results】.

◆ Usage of small-portion food types and meal sets

Small-portion food types and meal sets used in the past year (multiple answers) include "single-serving frozen pasta/noodles" at 24.6%, and "single-serving prepared meal packs," "one-plate type frozen foods," and "small-capacity packs of vegetables, meat, or fish" each in the 10% range.

Among those who responded that they "often" eat different meals at home for dinner, "single-serving prepared meal packs" is higher than in other groups.

＜＜ Comments from Respondents ＞＞

☆ Situations and contents of eating different meals at home (total 4,306 cases)

In the morning, some prefer bread, others rice. For dinner, it's a style where everyone serves themselves as much as they like from prepared dishes. (Male, 28 years old)

My father often drinks alcohol at dinner and unlike my mother and me, he often doesn't eat white rice. (Male, 33 years old)

When eating noodles at lunchtime, there are differences in preferences, such as soba or udon, so there are differences. (Male, 39 years old)

When we fight, everyone eats what they want at night. (Male, 47 years old)

When my mealtime overlaps with watching a live performance, I prepare and eat separately. (Female, 29 years old)

I eat completely separately from my cohabiting mother-in-law. My husband is late on weekdays, so we only eat together on Sunday nights. (Female, 39 years old)

Our waking times are different, and we each have fixed menus like cereal or bananas. (Female, 41 years old)

I'm on a carbohydrate diet, so I eat breakfast separately. (Female, 56 years old)

＜Detailed Survey Results＞

Survey results on individual dining

https://myel.myvoice.jp/products/detail/33305