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Complete Kitchen Living
Report
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September 2005
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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Contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 3
2. Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Sample size and target group per country ..................................................................................... 5
3. The living situation .................................................................................................................................. 6
4. Importance of individual living areas ...................................................................................................... 7
4.1 The most important room ............................................................................................................... 7
4.2 The least important room ............................................................................................................. 10
5. Use of rooms ........................................................................................................................................ 11
5.1 Intensity of use ............................................................................................................................. 11
5.2 Purpose of use ............................................................................................................................. 12
5.3 Period of use ................................................................................................................................ 16
5.3.1
Workday ................................................................................................................................... 16
5.2.1
Weekend .................................................................................................................................. 19
6. Cooking ................................................................................................................................................ 20
6.1 Who cooks?.................................................................................................................................. 20
6.2 What do people wear when cooking? .......................................................................................... 21
6.3 Good manners and bad habits in the kitchen - statements ......................................................... 22
7. Eating ................................................................................................................................................... 24
7.1 The eating situation ...................................................................................................................... 24
7.2 What’s for dinner – ethnic food .................................................................................................... 24
7.3 What do you eat – if you don’t cook? ........................................................................................... 26
8. Kitchen essentials ................................................................................................................................ 28
8.1 Kitchen equipment ....................................................................................................................... 28
8.2 The kitchen layout ........................................................................................................................ 30
8.3 The real kitchen ............................................................................................................................ 31
8.4 The ideal kitchen .......................................................................................................................... 34
8.5 Real and ideal – compared .......................................................................................................... 36
9. Satisfied – or dissatisfied? .................................................................................................................... 40
9.1 What are respondents satisfied with? .......................................................................................... 40
9.2 Satisfaction with the kitchen ......................................................................................................... 41
9.3 Main causes of dissatisfaction ..................................................................................................... 41
9.4 Why not a new kitchen? ............................................................................................................... 43
9.5 Or maybe a new kitchen after all?................................................................................................ 44
10. Satisfaction Index ................................................................................................................................. 45
11. Summary – The Headlines ................................................................................................................... 47
11.1 General Findings .......................................................................................................................... 51
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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"Complete Kitchen Living 2005"
Survey Report
1. Introduction
Following a successful joint venture in conducting the “World-wide Sleep Index” in 2004, IKEA again authorised ISOPUBLIC Switzerland (a member of GALLUP INTERNATIONAL) to co-ordinate a multinational survey. The main goal of this survey was to discover more about kitchen living worldwide. In all, 28
IKEA markets across five continents participated in this survey, which was based on an international
standardised approach.
The following list shows all the markets represented in the survey (in alphabetical order of ISO-country
abbreviations):
Western Europe:
Eastern Europe:

Austria

Czech Republic

Belgium

Hungary

Switzerland

Poland

Germany

Russia

Denmark

Slovak Republic

Spain
Middle East:

Spanish Islands


Finland
Asia:

France

China

UK

Japan

Italy

Malaysia

The Netherlands

Taiwan

Norway
North America, Australia:

Portugal

Canada

Sweden

USA

Australia
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
Saudi-Arabia
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2. Methodology
To obtain consistent findings, an internationally standardised survey was used with a structured questionnaire, the sample and the methodology. In most countries, interviewing was conducted by phone - except
for Czech Republic, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Slovakia, where a face-to-face approach was more appropriate. A representative sample of the adult population (from age 14, 15 or 18) was drawn up in each of
the countries involved (except for China, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia: urban sample).
In each country 500 interviews were conducted, except for Russia (n=1590) and the Spanish Islands
(n=300 per island). For this global report, each sample has been weighted n=500 interviews to ensure
equal importance in each market.
The results from all participating markets are comparable to each other and representative for the adult
population of the respective country (for China, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia: the urban adult population).
"Representative" in the context of market research means: The sample's structure is the same as for the
universe, therefore, results can be generalised.
The term "standard deviation" means the margin of error. This means in effect that the "real" figures for a
country may differ by a maximum of +/- 4.5% from the sample's results for this country.
A total of 14,000 interviews were conducted. The standard deviation for the total sample (over all 28 markets) is a maximum of +/- 0.8% - and most differences between subgroups (men and women, age groups
etc.) are "significant" in statistical terms.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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2.1
Sample size and target group per country
Western Europe:
Eastern Europe:

Austria n=500, 15-74, rep.

Czech Republic n=500, 15-74, rep.

Belgium n=501, 15-74, rep.

Hungary n=500, 15-74, rep.

Switzerland n=503, 15-74, rep.

Poland n=500, 15-74, rep.

Germany n=500, 14+, rep.

Russia n=1592, 18+, rep.

Denmark n=504, 15-74, rep.

Slovak Republic n=500, 15-74, rep.

Spain n=500, 15-74, rep.
Middle East:

Spanish Islands n=900, 15-74, rep.


Finland n=500, 15-79, rep.
Asia:

France n=504, 15+, rep.

China n=500, 15-74, urban

UK n=502, 15-74, rep.

Japan n=501,15-79, rep.

Italy n=510, 15+, rep.

Malaysia n=500, 18+, urban

The Netherlands n=500, 15+, rep.

Taiwan n=500, 15-65, rep.

Norway n=503, 15+, rep.
North America, Australia:

Portugal n=500, 15-74, rep.

Canada n=500, 18+, rep.

Sweden n=504, 15-74, rep.

USA n=501, 18+, rep.

Australia n=541, 14+, rep
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
Saudi Arabia n=500, 15-74, urban
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3. The living situation
The interview opened with a question about the size of and/or number of rooms in the respondent’s
home. Both the kitchen and bathroom were counted as rooms, but the entrance area, basement and garage were not.
The overall average is six rooms per home, which could correspond, for example, to a living room, a
kitchen, a bathroom, an office and two bedrooms. Urban dwellers have an average number of 5.8 rooms
and those in rural areas 6.25 rooms. Owners of a house or apartment have on average one room more at
their disposal than renters do. Smaller apartments and houses are more often rented, while a home with
more than six rooms is usually owned – the needs and financial possibilities that are involved in purchasing a home tend to lead to larger dwellings.
Eastern Europeans have the least living space – 5.1 rooms on average. Confirming the generally accepted belief, people in Asia also make do with less space (5.4 rooms).
Saudi Arabians are at the other end of the scale, occupying 7.3 rooms on average. It is also the case that
77% of these respondents have children and 53% live in a household with at least six people (overall
average across all markets: household size > 5 people 7%, households with children 44%). In Australia (7
rooms), Belgium (6.9), Canada (6.8), the Spanish Islands (6.7), USA and the UK (6.6), households also
have an average of more than 6.5 rooms.
Mean number of rooms
8
7
worldwide mean
6
5
4
3
2
China
Russia
Czech Rep.
Poland
Hungary
Finland
Portugal
Italy
Slovak Rep.
Malaysia
Japan
Netherlands
Germany
Switzerland
Sweden
France
Austria
Denmark
Taiwan
Spain
Norway
USA
UK
Spanish Islands
Canada
Belgium
Australia
Saudi Arabia
1
The size of the living space is also determined by age, as well as by household size, which correlates
with age: the middle aged group has more rooms than the younger or older groups do.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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4. Importance of individual living areas
4.1
The most important room
The rating of rooms by importance seems to be influenced by various factors: gender, age, household
size, whether the dwelling is rented or owned and the respective culture. For this reason, a comparison of
individual sub-groups is especially interesting.
The living room is the main living area in the home. Around 40% of survey participants named it as the
most important room in the home. The kitchen comes first for 26%, and the bedroom is most important for
18% of respondents. The dining room, bathroom, office, and children’s room were each named by only 24% as the most important.
43% of men said the living room was the most important, 21% named the bedroom, and only thereafter
was the kitchen mentioned. The kitchen takes second place with women, only 15% of whom named the
bedroom as the most important room.
most important
in %
living room
kitchen area
bedroom
Total
female
male
-34
35-54
55+
40
37
43
39
42
39
26
33
19
18
30
32
18
16
21
27
14
12
Considerable differences also exist between age groups: while the importance of the living room is uncontested, the kitchen is definitely more important to those over 35. The bedroom loses its importance as
people get older.
The importance of a room is related to the amount of time spent there, as well as its social function and/or
visibility. Women spend around 2hrs 45mins in the kitchen on a normal weekday, whereas men are only
there for 1hr 40mins.
The bedroom is not ranked based on the actual amount of time spent there, but instead it is evaluated
according to the consciously perceived time spent there and its limited visibility to other people.
The most varied activities take place in the living room, including social interaction with family members
and guests.
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The living room is more important to renters of an apartment or house than for homeowners (48% versus
38%). For owners, it is the kitchen that is more important (29% as opposed to 20% of renters).
The importance of the bedroom increases in larger households – probably because it offers a more private area to retreat to.
The living room and the kitchen have a different kind of image. The importance of the living room is emphasised especially by renters, those in urban environments, singles and/or couples and by people who
only use the kitchen to cook or who are unhappy with their kitchens. The kitchen, on the other hand, is
favoured by owners (in larger apartments), by people in rural areas, couples and families, and by those
who use the kitchen in a variety of ways and are happy with their kitchens. For around one third of those
who are completely satisfied with their kitchens, this is also the most important room.
In a comparison of countries, some markets prove to be especially kitchen-friendly: in Italy, Sweden and
Norway, the kitchen was cited by between 44-50% of people as the most important room, and in Finland
the kitchen is top of the list too. Rating the kitchen this high is at the expense of the living room.
The kitchen has lower priority in Asian countries especially (Taiwan 7%, Japan 11%, China 14%, Malaysia 20%), Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands (10% each) and Spain (13%). In China it is worth noting that the
living room is mentioned first more than average (54%), while in Taiwan the bedroom is (38%). The Netherlands and Saudi Arabia both regard the living room as the most important.
The kitchen is seen as more important than average in North America and Northern Europe; respondents
from Poland (36%), Switzerland, Russia, France and Portugal (29-30%) also rate the kitchen highly.
In Denmark, the USA and Portugal, the kitchen is recognised as the most important room almost as often
as the living room.
The children’s room is considered somewhat more important in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, the Czech
Republic and Slovakia (4-12%), compared to the global average of only 1% of mentions.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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Kitchen most important (in %)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
Italy
Sweden
Norway
Canada
Finland
Poland
Denmark
USA
Switzerland
Russia
France
Portugal
Austria
Czech Rep.
Germany
Spanish Islands
Slovak Rep.
UK
Belgium
Hungary
Australia
Malaysia
China
Spain
Japan
Netherlands
Saudi-Arabia
Taiwan
global mean 26%
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
kitchen
living room
bedroom
p. 9
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4.2
The least important room
The question as to the least important room received fewer responses overall. Sixteen percent of all respondents were unable to name their least important room, and 21% named other areas. The size of the
home seems to be tailored to the needs of the people who live there; all the available rooms are used.
Twelve percent feel that the bedroom is the least important room, 10% name the bathroom, then the living room, and then additional spaces (such as the basement or garage). Young people, renters and urban dwellers more frequently feel the kitchen (and the bathroom) is unimportant.
If the kitchen is only used for cooking, it is rated by 12% of people as the least important room; if the
kitchen serves a variety of functions, it receives this rating from only 7%. People who are, on the whole,
dissatisfied with their kitchen also deem it less important.
Designating the least important room is apparently not based on how it is used but rather on how much it
is used for social interaction and how much time is spent there – when respondents are asked to imagine
what it would mean, for example, if the bathroom disappeared. This room would certainly have otherwise
not been rated by 24% of participants in Poland as least important.
In some countries it is easier for respondents to name the least important room – in Saudi Arabia, 23%
name the kitchen, and 20% the bedroom. In Hungary and Asia, 35-45% could not name a least important
room. These are all countries (with the exception of Taiwan) where households have to make do with
fewer rooms than the global average.
The kitchen is named in Spain, the Czech Republic, China, Taiwan and the USA somewhat more frequently than the overall mean (10-13%).
In the UK, France, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Norway, the Czech Republic and Denmark, the bedroom is
mentioned more than average.
Of particular interest are the Dutch: almost every second participant in the Netherlands says other areas
of the house are least important.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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5. Use of rooms
5.1
Intensity of use
As has already been mentioned, social aspects and the duration of use play a role when it comes to the
living room. Every second survey participant reports spending the most time there. This is especially true
of singles, people in urban environments and homeowners. Men especially are also more likely to spend
time in the living room than women (53%, women 45%).
It is also possible to identify groups that make more intensive use of the bedroom: they are younger respondents, men and members of larger households (in general 16%). When people say “the kitchen is
irrelevant” this often means they are especially heavy users of bedrooms.
What about the kitchen? One in five people spends the most time at home in this room, particularly middle-aged and older people, couples and small families, those in rural areas and home owners. It is probably no surprise that there is a gender gap in kitchen use: 31% of women spend most time in the kitchen,
while only 10% of men do.
However, it is not necessarily cooking that binds people (more particularly: women) to the kitchen. People
are especially keen to spend most time in the kitchen, when it serves a variety of purposes – in the classical sense of the “hearth and home” (21% total, 25% of those who use their kitchen in a variety of ways).
And of course, people spend most time in the kitchen when they are satisfied with the room’s design
(completely satisfied: 24%).
In a comparison between countries there are some exceptions to the preference for the living room: 47%
of Italians and a third of all Portuguese spend most of their time in the kitchen. These are both countries
where eat-in kitchens or open kitchens are common, a topic that is explored more fully below. People in
countries where respondents rated the kitchen as not particularly important spend less time there accordingly (the Netherlands, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia).
On the other hand, people in the Netherlands, Norway, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Japan and the UK are big
fans of the living room; about two-thirds spend most of their time at home there.
Homes in France and Spain often have a special dining area, which is accorded a certain importance due
to the time spent there (17-20%). This could be related to the particular way homes are designed in their
region. Interestingly, the inhabitants of the Spanish Islands do not share this preference. Next to the living
room they spend most of their time in the bedroom and kitchen.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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In Asian countries and Saudi Arabia, people definitely spend time outside of the kitchen. In China and
Taiwan the living room and the bedroom come first with over 40% each, while in Japan, Malaysia and
Saudi Arabia over 60% spend the most time in the living room. In the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Hungary 6 to 13% of those questioned spend a lot of time in the children’s room.
The home office is significant in Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia and Australia (6-8%). In North America,
6-7% of people have other areas of the home where they spend the most time.
5.2
Purpose of use
The more satisfied respondents are with their kitchens, the more frequently they interact with other and
vice versa. And the more frequently the kitchen is used as a location to contact others, the more it is rated
as important.
in %
Total
completely
completely or
satisfied
rather satisfied
dissatisfied
to eat with my family
59
63
61
44
family discussions
35
38
37
24
to socialise
35
41
37
22
to eat with guests
34
38
36
24
to talk on the phone
29
31
30
22
for the kids playing
15
16
15
9
However, it is not as much the kitchen as a place for meeting friends, acquaintances and visitors that
causes people to spend time there: only 13% listed this as the place they were most likely to spend time
with other people overall and only 17% of those who use the kitchen for “various purposes” (meaning that
these “various purposes” are otherwise defined). People in rural areas rated somewhat above average on
this point (the kitchen functions there as a “place for social interaction”).
What is clear here is: the majority prefers the living room to other alternatives as a place to spend time in
with family or friends (71%). These people tend to be female, urban, renters, families with children and in
younger or middle age groups. The importance of the dining room increases with the age of respondents
(it is probably also older people who have a bigger apartment, including a dining room).
Whether or not the kitchen is the place for social interaction depends greatly on individual countries and
markets. Families and guests frequently get together in the kitchen in Italy (39%), Sweden (26%), and
Russia. In Canada, Czech Republic, Austria and Finland the kitchen is also valued as a meeting place. In
Spain (although less so in the Spanish Islands) and France, the dining area is the scene of social interaction for almost a third of those questioned – accordingly, more time is spent in this area as well.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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People from Asia and Saudi Arabia confirm this finding: the kitchen is not the preferred room for spending
time together or receiving visitors. Only 1-4% named the kitchen as the room best suited for this.
In China, 15% of respondents engage in social interaction in the bedroom (probably due to the lack of
alternative rooms; China is the country with fewest rooms per household). Interestingly, in Russia (where
the number of rooms per household is also low) only 6% of interviewees said they used the bedroom for
social interaction. They would be far more likely to decamp to the kitchen.
Being together with family and friends
in %
living room
kitchen
dining area
Total sample
71
13
8
Western Europe
69
15
10
Eastern Europe
68
17
6
Asia
85
2
2
North America
64
15
6
Australia
69
11
9
Saudi Arabia
86
1
3
Only a quarter of respondents listed the kitchen as only for cooking in. Everyone else referred to a highly
varied range of activities or uses. At the top of the overall sample’s list is "to eat with the family" (almost
60%). A third each listed “family discussions”, “to socialise” or “to eat with guests”. “To socialise“ may also
take the form of telephone conversations – 29% make phone calls in the kitchen (TV and work and/or
Internet were only listed by 15 and 10%, respectively). Fifteen percent reported that their children play
and/or do their homework in the kitchen, or that the kitchen was used for hobbies.
As a rule, things tend to get hot in the kitchen, but only in the family-friendly sense of the word. According
to survey results, romantic encounters take place between 10% of sinks, refrigerators and kitchen stoves.
The multi-functionality of the kitchen is stressed especially by those in the middle aged group, and one
would expect to find intense family life most frequently in this group. The kitchen is "exclusively for cooking" most often for older respondents, and it is this group that also most frequently uses the kitchen to
watch television.
Women experience and use the kitchen more often as a place for the most varied activities: from family
discussions to socialising, as a place where the children do their homework, where they can talk on the
phone, watch television, work or turn their attention to hobbies (to a certain extent the kitchen is “female”
space, where women are more likely to be busy with non-kitchen related activities, while men would seek
out other rooms to do the same). Essentially women use the kitchen in a greater variety of ways, which
means they spend a longer time there. However, there is one definite exception: Men use the kitchen
more often for sex or romance (although not very frequently)…
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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In the country, the kitchen functions more often as a “social space”, whereas in urban areas it is primarily
a place to cook.
It is uncertain as to whether someone who is dissatisfied with his or her kitchen, would only go there to do
chores, i.e. cooking, or whether the kitchen’s limited available options (only for cooking) are responsible
for their dissatisfaction.
An “important” kitchen is usually a multi-functional, social kitchen where hobbies, watching television,
work, children’s games and homework may all take place, and where people meet to eat, to discuss and
to socialise. Many “irrelevant” kitchens, on the other hand, are used only for cooking (35% versus 18% of
“important” kitchens) or at best for family meals (45% versus 67% of “important” kitchens) – all other possible activities achieve at most scores only half as high.
Kitchens in Asia and Saudi Arabia are predominantly used exclusively for cooking. But in Austria, France,
Spain and the Netherlands, one out of three respondents reported their kitchen was limited to cooking
purposes too. This may have, on the one hand, to do with the cultural significance of food preparation
(extending to issues of religion and ritual), while, on the other hand, it may be determined simply by architectural realities (many rented apartments allow at best for highly space-efficient food preparation but no
further activities).
In several countries the kitchen is used exclusively for cooking AND it is the least important room in the
household: Saudi Arabia (15%), China (8%) and Taiwan (7%) in the Middle and Far East, Spain (6%) in
Western Europe stand out in their purely functional use of the kitchen.
The hospitable kitchens of Finland and Sweden (with 68% for "to eat with guests"), Norway and Italy
(46%), Poland (54%) and North America (50%) are quite different.
In Italy (80%), Sweden (77%), Finland (75%), Norway (72%) and Portugal (72%) the family meets more
often than average in the kitchen. This score is also very high in Eastern Europe (with a mean value of
76%), between 68% in Poland and 85% in the Czech Republic).
In Asia, however, only Japan reaches 64%; at 63% Canada is also slightly above the average.
In China, Saudi Arabia, but also in the Netherlands, eating in the kitchen is especially rare – as already
mentioned, cooking and eating are quite clearly separate activities.
Family meals and family discussions are often parallel occurrences – with the following interesting exceptions: in Denmark, Switzerland and Austria (and to some extent in Germany as well) meals are eaten in
the kitchen less frequently than average, but discussions take place there more often than average. A
real culture of kitchen discussions and arguments seems to exist in Hungary (71%).
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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The most varied activities take place in Swedish and in Hungarian kitchens. An average of 4-4.3 activities
were mentioned per interview.
Taking a look at “uncharacteristic” or non-social activities, “working and/or internet” use takes place particularly often in the kitchens of Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Hobbies were mentioned especially often in Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Japan and North
America.
Television is watched with above-average frequency in Italian, Portuguese and Japanese kitchens,
whereas the telephone dominates in Scandinavia (mobile phone density as a possible explanation), Germany, Hungary, Canada and Australia. Children play most often in Norwegian, Danish, Belgian and Swedish kitchens. Office activities take place in one in four kitchens in Finland and one in five in Sweden,
Hungary and the Czech Republic.
The indiscreet market researcher’s poking around also reveals in which kitchens the flames of passion
are lit most often. Two countries stand out: Sweden and Japan – ex aequo with 22%. In Denmark and
Belgium the candles burn for 18%. (It should also be noted that the sensitive question “Do you use the
kitchen for sex / romance?” was, in deference to local culture, read out in some cases in a milder form or
pointed to on a list.) This failed, however, to reveal the romantic side of the kitchen in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Russia, China, Taiwan, Poland and the Czech Republic (0-4%).
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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5.3
Period of use
5.3.1
Workday
The average survey respondent spends 2 ¼ hours a day in the kitchen; at the weekend people are more
likely to celebrate their cooking and thus spend an average of 2hrs 24mins.
34% spend at the most one hour, and 19% longer than three hours per workday there. Women spend
around 1hr 6mins longer in the kitchen on average than men.
Single-person households, urban dwellers and renters spend relatively little time in the kitchen – about
two hours on a workday, somewhat more at the weekend. The deviation from the overall average among
younger people and men is particularly stark. The time spent by younger people comes to 1hr 56mins,
among men 1hr 42mins (at weekends 2hrs 5mins and 1hr 54mins respectively – here once again approx.
10 minutes more than during the week).
Time spent purely on cooking is for the general sample on a workday around one hour – this means that
on workdays almost five quarter-hours are allotted to non-cooking activities. The time spent cooking increases at the weekend by about 10 minutes, resulting in a corresponding rise in total time spent in the
kitchen. People do not stay longer to engage in other activities in the kitchen, but rather invest more time
in meal preparation.
in hours:min
Work day
of this time: cooking
Weekend
of this time: cooking
TOTAL
2h 15
1h 01
2h 23
1h 12
Male - 34
1h 28
0h 32
1h 40
0h 40
Male 35-54
1h 38
0h 39
1h 58
0h 52
Male 55+
2h 04
0h 46
2h 06
0h 51
Female -34
2h 21
1h 04
2h 31
1h 15
Female 35-54
2h 53
1h 28
3h 04
1h 44
Female 55+
3h 12
1h 38
3h 02
1h 44
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Male - 34
Male 35-54
week day
Male 55+
cooking
Female -34
weekend
Female 35-54
Female 55+
cooking
As illustrated by the figures in the graph above, the difference among older respondents between weekday and weekend is not that great. Among middle-aged men, on the other hand, the kitchen is clearly
used more intensively (total time spent) and among women of the same (or younger) age group, the
kitchen is used for a longer (more intensive) period of cooking.
Household size also considerably influences how much time is spent in the kitchen: among women, the
larger the household, the more time is spent in the kitchen. Among men, on the other hand, time spent in
the kitchen decreases as soon as the family grows beyond a couple together.
Even when the kitchen is rated as the least important room in the house, women still spend almost two
hours and men 1 hour 5 minutes there daily (during the week).
Italians clearly spend the most time on average in the kitchen. They spend an average of 3 hours and 11
minutes in the kitchen and use it for many different activities, cooking for 62 minutes of this time.
In Poland (2hr 50mins), Canada (2hr 46mins) and Russia (2hr 44mins) people also spend a good deal of
time in the kitchen. People in China (1hr 29mins), Taiwan (1hr 31mins), the Netherlands (1hr 52mins) and
Norway (1hr 55mins) stay in the kitchen for the shortest amount of time each day.
Taking a look at gender, Italian women are at the forefront with 3 hours 40 minutes spent in the kitchen,
and Italian men also lead among men (2hr 39mins) ahead of Canada, Poland and the USA. Women in
Poland (3hr 29mins), Saudi Arabia (3hr 27mins) and Russia (3hr 21mins) are also keen kitchen users.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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Men in Saudi Arabia spend by far the shortest amount of time in the kitchen: 36 minutes daily. In Taiwan,
Japan, Malaysia and China, men do not spend much time in the kitchen either (59 minutes to
1hr 17mins). In Europe, men who do not frequent the kitchen much include the Swiss, Dutch, Spanish
and Norwegians.
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
cooking
Saudi-Arabia
Australia
USA
Canada
Taiwan
Malaysia
Japan
China
Slovak Rep.
Russia
Poland
Hungary
Czech Rep.
UK
Switzerland
Sweden
Spanish Islands
Spain
Portugal
Norway
Netherlands
Italy
Germany
France
Finland
Denmark
Belgium
Austria
0
not cooking
The length of time spent in the kitchen alone, however, does not reveal anything about the time spent
actually cooking. 18% of all respondents even reported that on normal workdays they do not cook at all.
The fastest cooks live in the Netherlands: they cook on average only 40 minutes a day. In Taiwan, China
und Malaysia quick cooking is also popular (47-49 minutes daily). People cook for somewhat less than an
hour daily in Switzerland, Germany, Finland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium
and Australia.
In Russia (1hr 33mins), Canada (1hr 20mins), the USA (1hr 17mins) and Poland (1hr 14mins), more time
is invested in cooking. The overall average time spent cooking is 61 minutes daily.
Women in the Netherlands and China are the fastest cooks on workdays (51-54 minutes), women from
Russia and Saudi Arabia spend the longest time cooking.
In Saudi Arabia, Japan, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, Taiwan, the Netherlands and Switzerland, men
spend less than 30 minutes on average cooking.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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5.2.1
Weekend
And how do things look on a normal weekend (or on corresponding days off)?
In general, more time is spent in the kitchen than during the working week. The older generation is the
exception; this group spends around four minutes less in the kitchen at the weekend.
Time spent in
weekend
the kitchen
work day
Global Mean
2 h 15 min
2 h 23 min
female
2 h 47 min
2 h 52 min
male
1 h 41 min
1 h 53 min
urban
2 h 09 min
2 h 16 min
rural
2 h 27 min
2 h 37 min
owner
2 h 19 min
2 h 29 min
tenant
2 h 06 min
2 h 13 min
-34
1 h 54 min
2 h 05 min
35-54
2 h 17 min
2 h 32 min
55+
2 h 41 min
2 h 37 min
There are, however, also countries where less time is spent in the kitchen at weekends: Italy (although
more time is spent on food preparation, less time is spent on non-cooking related activities), Spain, the
Spanish Islands, Poland, Japan, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia.
In the Slovak Republic, about 37 minutes more are spent in the kitchen at the weekend than usual. In the
Czech Republic and Sweden it is also about 30 minutes more.
In general, weekend menus demand lengthier preparation: worldwide, men and women stand at the stove
an average of 11 minutes longer at the weekend. Although in Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and the Spanish Islands, five and 10 minutes less are spent cooking than during the week.
The men, too, spend somewhat longer cooking on the weekends, with the exception of men in Italy, Malaysia und Taiwan.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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6. Cooking
6.1
Who cooks?
The aforementioned figures point to the fact that the world of gender-role stereotypes is still very much
intact. Who cooks the most? – the woman (77%). Only 15% reported that the man in the household
shares a part in the cooking. These men, however, are for the most part single. In households of couples,
the woman does the cooking in 77% of cases, in larger households in over 80% (households with children
84%). Men in households without children cook twice as often (20%).
At 1% each, children, hired servants, housemates or grandparents play a small role in meal preparation.
Among Western European countries, the gender roles in Italy, Spain and in the Spanish Islands are traditionally allocated in over 80% of cases. In Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, Finland, the Netherlands and Switzerland 20-30% of men share in the cooking.
In Eastern European countries, the responsibility of meal preparation rests solidly on the women of the
household (85-88%). In the Asian region, China presents an interesting situation: while women in China
also spend more time cooking than men there, one out of four Chinese men does the most cooking in his
household. As such, Chinese men are way above the average for the markets surveyed in Asia (average
11%).
In Australia (19%), the USA (20%) and Canada (26%), male participation is also above average – although in these cases barbecuing (“grilling is a man’s job”) was probably included.
In Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and China, 3-5% of households have hired servants responsible for cooking.
Maybe this is a result of the urban sample structure.
Grandparents in China and Hungary (4% each) are those most frequently entrusted with this task.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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6.2
What do people wear when cooking?
As already shown, an average of two hours a day is spent in the kitchen, about one hour of which is devoted to cooking. What does one wear for the occasion? Most respondents do not give it a second
thought (47%). This is not an issue for younger people, men and singles especially.
This response is particularly strongly influenced by cultural perspective in Japan (73%), Denmark (62%)
and Australia (61%).
26% wear an apron – this accessory of domestic production is clearly associated with women and older
people. Protective covering is also preferred by those who rate the kitchen a very important room in the
home – after all, these people tend to spend rather frequent periods of time in the kitchen. From a regional perspective, the apron is found most often in Portugal (54%), China (53%), Spain and Taiwan (41%).
One in every four respondents (exactly 23%) changes their clothes before cooking – predominantly women, middle-aged people and/or urban dwellers. By country, this practice occurs most frequently in Spain
(41%), the Spanish Islands (52%) and Hungary (49%).
Asked about somewhat more uncommon clothing styles in the kitchen, for example cooking naked or
wearing only underwear, 16% reported having done so at least once – younger respondents (19%), men
(19%), and singles (22%) somewhat more frequently. This relaxed style of clothing also seems to be
something more for renters than for homeowners.
This behaviour is somewhat more frequent in German-speaking areas - 22% (Austria) to 26% (Switzerland). Even more clearly above the average are the Spanish Islands (29%) and – contrary to what one
might assume given their climate – Denmark, Finland (33%) and Norway (28%).
In Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Poland, Taiwan and China especially, people prefer to be more fully
dressed – however, as already mentioned, not much thought is given to what the kitchen “uniform” should
look like.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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6.3
Good manners and bad habits in the kitchen - statements
Apart from appropriate or inappropriate clothing, there exist certain codes of conduct in the kitchen.
These rules are often learned in early childhood – but how often do adults adhere to them?
36% of survey participants drink directly out of the container – behaviour attributable to the younger generation and men. People for whom the kitchen is less important or who are relatively dissatisfied with their
kitchens also tend to engage more frequently in this behaviour.
“Uncivilised” Western European countries in this respect include Finland and Switzerland, as well as
France, Italy and Spain (40-45%). In Eastern Europe, it is the Czechs who are somewhat less strict about
using drinking glasses (68%).
Do you dip the spoon back into the cooking pot after you have tasted with it? Yes, replied one out of four
respondents – once again this behaviour is more common among the young.
In the Czech Republic, 57% admit to double-dipping, while in Hungary and the Slovak Republic about half
of the respondents do. In German-speaking areas as well as North America, the tasting spoon is also put
back in the pot with above-average frequency (32-38%). In Malaysia, Portugal and Russia, however, this
behaviour is more frowned on (< 10% each).
Almost half of all households (exactly 45%) have a so-called “junk-drawer”, where everything ends up that
they do not know what to do with. This cabinet or drawer (or whatever form is chosen) for bits and pieces
is particularly popular in Australia, Canada and the UK (> 60% each). In Russia, just 20% choose this
method of storage.
More than two thirds of surveyed households own six (or more) full-sized dinner plates in the same style.
Not surprisingly, this is most often the case among older people and households with childless couples. In
rural areas, people also value a set of matching dishware more highly – perhaps this even contributes to
a higher rate of satisfaction with their kitchens.
satisfied
71%
dissatisfied
58%
Hungarians and Poles lead Eastern Europe when it comes to matching dishware (94 and 82% respectively). In Canada and Australia, the majority of meals are also eaten from matching plates (74-78%). In
Western Europe it is almost the done thing to own at least six matching plates. With the exception of Portugal and Spain, over 70% of Western Europeans do.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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35% of all those surveyed dream of a kitchen island – it would be interesting to know how the populations
of the countries surveyed envision such an island… (This type of kitchen layout was described to the
survey participants using pictures, but they still had several questions about it…)
The kitchen island is a relatively new development and is therefore something younger people and
households with children are most keen to have. 41% of people who would be willing to renovate their
kitchen would like a kitchen island.
This desire is especially strong in Canada (55%), Australia, Switzerland, Taiwan, China and Hungary
(46%). In the USA, France, Germany and Denmark the kitchen island would also be more likely to appear
in our respondents’ dream kitchens.
The kitchen island is not included in the ideal kitchen in Russia and Malaysia – it is conceivable that this
type of kitchen layout is not very well known in these regions.
A dream kitchen is not necessarily a clean kitchen. It seems to be the case, however, that most kitchens
are regularly cleaned, even in places that could easily be overlooked: only 19% of respondents reported
that their refrigerators had not been cleaned in over three months. Kitchen hygiene is carried out with
particular vigilance in Portugal, Russia, the USA, Malaysia and Hungary.
Regular refrigerator cleaning is attended to primarily by women, older people, homeowners and nonsingles.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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7. Eating
7.1
The eating situation
The typical eating situation for 80% of respondents is together with the family (at least with a partner).
One third (especially young and old people and singles) said they normally eat alone (multiple mentions
were possible here).
The TV set does not provide company only for those who eat alone but it is also on when some families
are eating together (44% altogether). It is also true here that younger respondents or urban dwellers have
the TV on more often when eating but less often if children are at the table.
There are especially large numbers of people who eat alone in Norway and Sweden (50%), Japan (53%)
as well as in Switzerland and Canada (44%). Plus the TV is on during meals for two thirds of Italians and
Spaniards (Spanish Islands: 50%), 63% in Saudi Arabia, but also for a majority of respondents in Taiwan
(58%), the US (54%) and Australia (52%). The undisputed leader here is of course Japan, where 80%
say they normally eat in front of the TV.
What is interesting here is that in Poland only 15% eat in front of the TV, even though Polish kitchens
have an average number of electronic appliances in them (stereo, TV, computer).
A total of 13% read while eating, not surprisingly singles especially. Contrary to the widespread prejudice,
men and women say they read about as often as each other. Even in bigger households approximately
one in four people normally eats alone. This is likely to be associated with eating while working.
Renters and people who are dissatisfied with their kitchen eat more often in front of the TV or alone.
7.2
What’s for dinner – ethnic food
What "cuisine" in the sense of styles of cooking and ethnic food are most popular with this sample?
Based on a list of "ethno-food", which goes from A for American to T for Thai, respondents were asked to
choose their absolute favourite cuisine (only one answer was permitted). The global significance of Italian
food was resoundingly confirmed by 28%. This was followed by Chinese with 16%.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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When evaluating these findings each country’s votes for its own cuisine (Italy, France, China, Japan)
were not counted and placed in the “own country cuisine” category (e.g. the preference of 97% of Italians
for pasta and pizza was eliminated).
What was striking about national likings is the strong preference for Italian cuisine in German speaking
countries (e.g. Austria 63%) plus – to a lesser extent in Spain and on the Spanish Islands, in Hungary and
Poland. Outside of Europe the response is far lower – in North America about 26%, in Asia only a few
individuals.
There is a higher than average number of Chinese food fans in the UK (the Indian influence is also very
strong here) and the Netherlands (Asian cuisine in general was mentioned very frequently here). French
cuisine is appreciated especially in Belgium, while Norwegians and US citizens are more likely to be partial to Mexican, in Sweden they go for Thai food.
In Australia their proximity – in geographical terms alone – to India, Thailand and Asia is more noticeable
in general.
However, there are also societies in which "foreign" food (at least of those on the list provided) is mentioned only rarely. In Europe this includes to some extent Poland, Spain and Portugal (approx. a third
chose "none of the above"), Russia (72%) and Saudi Arabia (77%). One possible reason for this is that
these countries have had little contact with these types of food in the past, that a certain local pride prevents them from sampling it and of course religious dietary laws have to be taken into account as well.
Based on socio-demographic sub-groups younger respondents are generally more receptive – with one
exception: older respondents more frequently mention traditionally highly appreciated French cuisine. On
the other hand, there are only a few differences between men and women.
in %
Total
-34
35-54
55+
Italian cuisine
28
32
30
20
Chinese cuisine
16
18
16
13
French cuisine
6
4
7
9
other Asian style cuisine
5
6
5
3
American cuisine
4
5
4
4
Mexican cuisine
4
6
3
2
Indian cuisine
3
3
3
2
Thai cuisine
3
3
3
2
When it comes to individual styles of food, where people live is also relevant. Chinese restaurants and
pizzerias can now be found even in out of the way areas and people living in the country even prefer
them. Urban residents have greater access to other types of Asian and/or otherwise undefined food.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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In a second category – concerned more with the quality of meals – the significance of organic ingredients,
vegetarian cuisine and convenience meals is examined. Based on the question posed here its relative
importance should be analysed especially – i.e. which sub-groups find it appealing or not.
in %
Male
Female
Total
-34
35-54
55+
regional cuisine
69
65
67
63
68
71
organic ingredients
11
13
12
12
13
11
vegetarian cuisine
7
12
10
11
9
8
instant meal / convenience
9
7
8
12
7
4
Vegetarian food tends to be for younger people, women and urban dwellers. Organic ingredients are
somewhat more important to women as well as families. Convenience also appeals to younger but more
male respondents and is more important to singles and large families. And there is a (highly likely) connection here too: the less important a kitchen is rated, the more significant convenience meals are. Mentions of organic, vegetarian and convenience foods also increase slightly, the more dissatisfied people
are with their kitchen.
There are clear differences between regions too. Vegetarians are found especially in Finland, China, Malaysia, Australia and Saudi Arabia. Organic ingredients are important to German-speaking respondents
Danes and Australians. (For China and Russia the question had to be reworded and therefore results are
not comparable)
The "convenience" argument is more appealing than average in Norway, the UK, Canada, the US, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
Respondents in Russia, Denmark, France, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland and Belgium (less than 5%
of mentions) cannot do much without meat.
7.3
What do you eat – if you don’t cook?
You know how it is: you’re at home in the evening and feeling hungry but you can’t be bothered to cook or
go out to a restaurant. So what would you normally eat in this case?
If respondents do not have the abovementioned hour to cook something – they usually have a cold snack
(sandwiches, cheese, salad, fruit, etc.). Almost 40% gave this response.
One in five would eat a convenience product and 17% would get something from the fridge (or freezer).
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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A home delivery service or take away would be used by 16% or 13%. Almost as many would warm up
leftovers from a previous meal. Sweet or salty snacks are a real alternative to a meal for 3-4%.
The type of food preferred is strongly linked to age group: the older respondents are the more they prefer
a cold meal. Younger people are more likely to choose a ready to serve meal, to order home delivery or
go out to pick up a take-away meal.
There is only one difference between men and women here: women eat cold food more often, whereas
men are more likely to choose convenience meals.
The differences in infrastructure in urban and rural areas mean there are corresponding (albeit minor)
differences when it comes to home delivery or take away – urban dwellers tend to use them more frequently.
Consumption of cold meals is most popular in Switzerland, Slovakia and Austria (up to 62%). Respondents in Asia (with the exception of Malaysia) are not all that keen on cold meals: they prefer ready to
serve food and take-aways.
Eating leftovers is considered an alternative especially in Russia, the Slovak Republic and Czech Republic. Convenience is an issue in Asia, Finland and Saudi Arabia especially.
In Canada (29%), Denmark, Belgium, France and Australia consumers like to order food (or in Australia:
go to pick it up). However, the French especially with 21% of mentions will consider a completely different
alternative.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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8. Kitchen essentials
8.1
Kitchen equipment
Everyone knows there is a wealth of kitchen appliances and equipment available so we only listed a small
range of items here – from the ubiquitous kitchen fridge to the more exotic wine refrigerator.
In virtually every kitchen there is a fridge (94%), cooker, hotplate or oven – obviously the basic kitchen
appliances. In Switzerland and Sweden as many as 100% of all respondents own a fridge. However,
three quarters of respondents also have a microwave and more than two thirds have a toaster, food processor/blender. A freezer and coffee/espresso machine are also found in a majority of kitchens.
Less than 50% have a dishwasher, garbage separation container and deep fryer.
Appliances that are not all that usual in kitchens include phones and stereo/TV/computer, but even they
reach 34% and 29% respectively.
A washing machine, water filter and rice cooker are found in one in five kitchens, 11% have an ice maker/crusher. At just 4% a wine refrigerator in the kitchen is definitely only for the minority.
Which socio-demographic groups have a special, noticeable affinity with individual appliances?
Up front: there are only a few differences between these widely available appliances. It is impossible to
say whether this group or the other is generally better equipped; differences always apply to a specific
appliance.
Microwave: an appliance more for young people (and for households with children), penetration among
older people or singles is lower.
Food processor/blender: an appliance that definitely appeals more to women or households with couples
or 3-4 people.
Freezer: the smaller the household, the more likely it is to have a freezer.
Coffee/espresso machine: this appliance is used more frequently by older respondents, in single or two
person households (penetration drops as household size increases).
Dishwasher: less common in single households and very large households.
Garbage separation container: this device (including perhaps the required environmental awareness) is
used less frequently by older or single respondents.
Water filter: the larger the household, the more likely they are to have a water filter.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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There is one difference with regard to the significance of the kitchen and its functionality. Where a kitchen
is perceived as especially relevant or where it is used for a variety of activities, it is usually better
equipped as well. The only exceptions are garbage separation containers, deep fryers, washing machines, rice cookers und wine refrigerators – they were mentioned more frequently by respondents who
classify the kitchen as rather irrelevant or only for cooking in.
Those who would like to renovate their kitchens (see below) are especially unlikely to own a dishwasher
or coffee/espresso machine at present (it may be that lacking these appliances is part of the reason they
would like to renovate). A well-equipped kitchen might make them happier as well: the more satisfied
people are with their kitchens the more of these appliances they say they own (with the exception of a
washing machine, rice cooker or ice maker).
From a regional perspective we initially see that the penetration of appliances such as microwaves, TVs
and computers is highest in Western Europe, North America and Australia. Eastern Europe and Saudi
Arabia come next, while the lowest rate of appliance ownership is in Asia (whereby Japan is the exception here with the highest number of mentions of all countries).
Sum of all mentions per country / market (means)
11.5
9.4
9.9
10
9.5
8.9
9.4
9.1 9.1
9
10.2
9.7
9.4
8.6
9.8 10.1
9.9
9.1
8.6
9.3
8.5
7.9
7.5
7.4
7.1 7.2
6.8
5.5
Saudi-Arabia
Australia
USA
Canada
Taiwan
Malaysia
Japan
China
Slovak Rep.
Russia
Poland
Hungary
Czech Rep.
UK
Sweden
Switzerland
Spanish Islands
Spain
Portugal
Norway
Netherlands
Italy
Germany
France
Finland
Denmark
Belgium
Austria
Total
3.7
In Eastern Europe penetration rates for appliances are very high in Hungary and Poland, good in the
Czech Republic and Slovakia, but the lowest rate of all countries in this research is in Russia (the second
to last place here is occupied by China). Apart from the "basic" cooker, Russia is below the global average for ALL appliances. In China (besides a cooker) washing machines, water filters und rice cookers are
mentioned more frequently than the overall average.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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Of course there are specific differences between regions when it comes to particular appliances – hence
rice cookers and water filters are especially popular in Asia (to some extent in Australia and Saudi Arabia
too). Water filters are also very common in North America.
8.2
The kitchen layout
Kitchens are usually the eat-in variety or separate kitchens not connected to another area (45% in both
cases); 37% have a kitchen that is open to another area of the house. The kitchen layout depends of
course on the space available but certainly also on how important respondents consider the kitchen to be.
Hence renters and younger people (and urban dwellers) have kitchenettes, whereas homeowners tend to
have more spacious versions such as eat-in kitchens with a bar and island. In rural areas, where the
kitchen has a more important social function, as explained above, it is more frequently open with access
to other rooms.
in %
Total
-34
35-54
55+
Owner
Tenant
eat-in kitchen
46
44
46
48
49
37
separate kitchen
45
45
44
47
44
48
open to another area of the home
37
36
39
36
38
36
kitchenette, wardrobe kitchen
9
11
9
8
8
12
kitchen with bar
9
10
10
7
10
5
kitchen with island
8
8
8
8
9
6
others
1
1
1
1
1
1
Kitchens that are less relevant (and which people are less happy with), are more likely to be small, enclosed rooms, whereas "important" (and more satisfactory) kitchens are open or the eat-in type.
in %
eat-in kitchen
49
48
33
44
45
separate kitchen
open to another area
32
7
kitchenette
kitchen with bar
4
40
38
16
10
10
6
kitchen with island
none of these
8
48
8
10
1
1
2
completely satisfied compl. or rather satisfied dissatisfied
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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Using a kitchen (its functionality) and how it is laid out is largely similar in each of these markets – whereby it is impossible to say which factor influences the other. Eat-in kitchens or open kitchens are especially
common in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Eat-in kitchens can also often be found in Germany,
Italy and Hungary, and open kitchens in Portugal, North America, Australia and Japan.
In contrast, enclosed or small kitchens are more common than usual in the Spanish Islands, Hungary,
Poland, China, Malaysia and Taiwan as well as Saudi Arabia.
8.3
The real kitchen
The main attributes of the actual kitchen are functional (78%) and cosy/warm (68%). Between 57 and
61% also said that even though their kitchen was old (and thus traditional), it was also a room they liked
to spend time in at the same time.
More than half (54%) of respondents think their kitchen is roomy, while 45% classify it as modern.
In the middle with about 30-36% of mentions are items such as "for various activities", "important room to
meet others", small and new.
22% stated that their kitchen was rather crammed with stuff and the same number said they had a lot of
fancy electronic gadgets (such as a milk shaker, espresso maker …).
The older respondents are, the more frequently they see the kitchen as cosy/warm, a pleasant room to
spend time in, but also – as one would expect – traditional and old (textiles are also more common the
older they are). Middle-aged and older respondents are more likely than average to describe their kitchens as functional. Middle-aged respondents emphasise especially that the kitchen is an important room to
meet others.
By contrast, younger respondents’ kitchens are more often new with lots of electronic gadgets and are
used for all kinds of activities (in common with middle aged people).
A man’s kitchen is more often modern and equipped with a lot of fancy electronic gadgets, whereas a
woman’s kitchen is very cosy, a pleasant room to spend time in, a meeting place, a place for all kinds of
activities.
The main difference between kitchens in urban and rural areas is the size / atmosphere and the social
significance of the room. Kitchens in the country are roomier, warmer, more agreeable – and certainly
more traditional – and are both suitable for and used especially for activities and meetings that have nothing to do with cooking. However, there are hardly any differences in terms of how new / modern they are
and their electronic gadgets.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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Differences real - ideal
in %
Functional
Cosy, warm
A pleasant room to spend time in
Traditional
Old (>5 years)
Spacious
Modern
For various activities
Important to meet others
Small
New (<5 years)
Crammed full
Lot of electronic gadgets
Lots of textiles
Cold
real
78
68
61
58
57
54
45
36
35
34
29
22
22
14
6
dream
78
70
68
37
9
79
63
46
43
4
60
5
35
14
5
difference
0
-2
-7
21
48
-25
-18
-10
-8
30
-31
17
-13
0
1
Where are the greatest deviations in statements given by dissatisfied respondents?
The real kitchen
total sample
dissatisfied
persons
New (<5 years)
29
11
Spacious
54
21
Modern
45
17
Lot of electronic gadgets
22
13
For various activities
36
20
Important to meet others
35
16
A pleasant room to spend time in
61
26
Cosy, warm
68
35
Functional
78
50
Lots of textiles
14
9
difference
18
33
28
9
16
19
35
33
28
5
Dissatisfied people mention all the positive attributes less often, the items spacious and cosy and especially a pleasant room to spend time in apply especially rarely (it is possible that they trigger their disappointment).
Descriptions of their current kitchen are determined by the actual room and contents on the one hand but
also by cultural influences on their attitude to the kitchen (is this an issue at all?) and by the kind of replies
they give in surveys, which are also culturally influenced (if they give multiple or just single answers).
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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Thus, people describe their actual kitchens in great detail in the UK, Hungary, Sweden, Norway and
Germany as well as Canada (about 7.5 items mentioned in the UK and in Hungary as many as 8 per respondent). Things are very different in Russia (2.4 items), Saudi Arabia, China and Malaysia, where each
respondent perceived only four items on average as relevant.
Which aspects are emphasised more than the overall average (especially in the respective region)?
Western Europe
Austria: Electronic gadgets, lots of textiles
Belgium: Electronic gadgets, lots of textiles
Denmark: functional, cosy/warm, a pleasant room to spend time in, important to meet others
Finland: Cosy/warm, traditional, for various activities, important to meet others
Germany: functional, modern, small, electronic gadgets, lots of textiles
Italy: traditional, for various activities, important to meet others
Netherlands: functional, small, electronic gadgets
Norway: functional, cosy, a pleasant room to spend time in, traditional, spacious, for various activities,
important to meet others
Portugal: electronic gadgets
Spanish Islands: functional, cosy, important to meet others, new
Sweden: functional, a pleasant room to spend time in, traditional, old, spacious, a room for various activities, important to meet others
Switzerland: functional, old, small, electronic gadgets, lots of textiles
UK: functional, cosy, a pleasant room to spend time in, modern, important to meet others, small, new,
crammed full, lots of textiles
France / Spain: very “westernised” answers – i.e. little deviation from the average in the region
Eastern Europe
The picture in Eastern Europe is dominated by the large number of responses in Hungary. In Poland too
kitchens are described in great detail – especially the aspects functional, cosy, traditional, a pleasant
room to spend time in, spacious and old.
Slovakians tend to emphasise that their kitchens are traditional and old.
In the Czech Republic and especially Russia the predominant points (or complaints) are: old, traditional,
small.
Asia
China: traditional, small, new (here traditional is not the equivalent of old for the first time!)
Japan: cosy, old, a pleasant room to spend time in, for various activities, important to meet others,
crammed full, electronic gadgets, lots of textiles
Malaysia: cosy, spacious, modern
Taiwan: functional, traditional
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North America
Kitchens are described in more detail in Canada. Plus, Canadians refer very frequently to functional, cosy, traditional and old. (Only for the item "cold" is this result higher in the USA than in Canada.)
Australia
In comparison with North America it is striking that here items mentioned especially often were functional,
a pleasant room to spend time in and old (similar to Canada but clearly more than the USA)
Saudi Arabia
This market cannot be compared directly with any of its neighbours or a country with a similar cultural
background. A comparison with the overall average is difficult, as the number of items mentioned is very
low altogether. Our "internal analysis" shows that functional, spacious, new, a pleasant room und traditional are the most frequently mentioned items.
8.4
The ideal kitchen
Older respondents generally find fewer points of relevance in the specified list – their responses are only
above average in three categories: their ideal kitchen may be more often traditional (46% versus 37% on
average overall), old (13% versus 9%) and small (6% versus 4%).
The two younger age groups have a fairly similar set of requirements – with the following exceptions:
respondents under the age 35 more frequently want new (69% versus 60%), modern (71% versus 63%)
kitchens but also kitchens with lots of electronic “gadgets” (45% versus 35%) and lots of textiles (15%
versus 13%).
For women it is more important that their kitchen is cosy/warm (72% versus 70%), a pleasant room to
spend time in (72% versus 68%), and an important room to meet others (47% versus 43%) – besides this
they are also somewhat keener on textiles than men. They also stress those items, which are currently
typical of a woman’s kitchen in reality.
The dream kitchen for urban dwellers is newer, more modern and usually equipped with electronic gadgets. In the country by contrast dream kitchens are certainly more functional but also warmer, more pleasant rooms to spend time in, plus important rooms for various activities and to meet others. People in urban areas tend to emphasise modernity or equipment – while there are few differences between their
actual kitchens and those in the country.
Western Europe
People in Austria, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain describe their dream kitchen in ways that are very
consistent with the average. In other countries the following attributes or features are especially important:
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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Belgium: electronic gadgets
Denmark: spacious, functional, cosy, a pleasant room to spend time in, modern, new, for various activities, important to meet others
Finland: cosy, important to meet others, traditional
Germany: functional, cosy, modern, electronic gadgets, lots of textiles
Netherlands: electronic gadgets
Norway: a pleasant room to spend time in, for various activities, traditional, electronic gadgets
Spanish Islands: spacious, cosy, a pleasant room to spend time in, new
Sweden: for various activities, important to meet others, traditional
Switzerland: spacious, functional, cosy, a pleasant room to spend time in, new
UK: traditional, lots of textiles
Eastern Europe
Not only when describing their actual situation but also their ideal, Hungarians mention a great many
items. In particular they refer to cosy, spacious, functional und a pleasant room to spend time in.
Czech Republic: spacious, functional, cosy, modern
Poland: functional, cosy
Russia: spacious, modern (also electronic gadgets are fairly high up on their wish list)
Slovakia: spacious, functional, a pleasant room to spend time in, modern
Asia
Respondents in Japan mentioned a great many items that they would want in their dream kitchen.
China: spacious, functional, new (also electronic gadgets are fairly high up on their wish list)
Japan: functional, cosy, a pleasant room to spend time in, spacious, new, modern, for various activities,
electronic gadgets
Malaysia: cosy, modern, spacious, functional
Taiwan: functional, spacious, cosy
North America
Canadians also replied here in greater detail. Only when it comes to electronic gadgets and textiles are
preferences in both countries similar.
Australia
As in Canada, popular items "down under" are functional, spacious, a pleasant room to spend time in,
cosy and modern.
Saudi Arabia
The major items in an ideal kitchen here are spacious, modern, functional and new, while all other items
(especially to do with "atmosphere”) are not so important – as expected given the status of kitchens here.
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8.5
Real and ideal – compared
If we look at responses to these two questions side by side, we can analyse them on the one hand by
country, where the greatest deficiencies / unfulfilled wishes are (and the different response patterns of the
sample can be neutralised). On the other hand, a comparison of responses from dissatisfied people
shows where the potential drivers of this dissatisfaction are located.
By country
The discrepancy between the functionality of one’s actual and ideal kitchen is exceptionally large in China
and Japan. In Russia, Saudi Arabia and Slovakia respondents would like their dream kitchen to have
more functional attributes. In the UK, Italy, France and Spain, consumers have already attained a very
high degree of functionality and would not stress this item so much in their ideal kitchen.
When it comes to spaciousness, respondents around the world agree: a dream kitchen should have more
room. In China, Japan, Czech Republic, Russia, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia especially they are unhappy
with their current situation. But even in Switzerland and Slovakia there is a strong desire for more space
in the kitchen.
The findings are similar when consumers are asked about a new kitchen. Do you already have one – or
would you like to have one? On this point the kitchen they would ideally like to have differs most from
their current situation in virtually every country (exceptions are Czech Republic, Russia, China, Saudi
Arabia: here “spacious” is considered more important). Particularly significant differences were shown by
respondents from the Spanish Islands, Hungary, Japan, Switzerland and Australia.
When it comes to the item “modern”, things are much the same. Apart from the UK, Italy and the US,
where they already seem to have a kitchen as up to date as they would like, their desire for “modernity”
exceeds what they currently have. In terms of fashion, there is an unsatisfied need to be met in Saudi
Arabia, Slovakia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Czech Republic and the Spanish Islands.
Italians, Belgians, Swiss, Austrians and Slovaks would be willing to make do with fewer textiles in their
dream kitchen. However, Americans, Hungarians, Canadians and Saudi Arabians would usually like to
have more textile furnishings.
In China, Norway, Czech Republic, Russia and Taiwan consumers would like to see electronic appliances
in their ideal kitchen more often, which would make life in the kitchen even easier. In Italy and Portugal
this need already seems to be fulfilled.
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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# Example:
The gap between an ideal and real kitchen in Norway for the item „lots of electronic gadgets“ is 29%
Gap in %
Real - Ideal
Total
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Spanish Islands
Sweden
Switzerland
UK
Czech Rep.
Hungary
Poland
Russia
Slovak Rep.
China
Japan
Malaysia
Taiwan
Canada
USA
Australia
Saudi-Arabia
Functional
0
9
-2
-4
-3
11*
2
13*
4
3
-4
10*
2
3
1
20*
0
-4
3
-13
-11
-35
-26
8
3
4
9
2
-12
Spacious
-25
-8
-18
-24
-29
-12
-26
-8
-19
-17
-23
-19
-26
-18
-31
-10
-36
-23
-23
-35
-31
-48
-42
-24
-32
-24
-15
-23
-29
New
(< 5 years)
-31
-22
-34
-37
-32
-20
-33
-14
-28
-35
-30
-39
-51
-37
-42
-13
-29
-46
-13
-18
-31
-26
-45
-27
-37
-38
-22
-40
-26
Modern
-18
-9
-8
-20
-18
-16
-10
-3
-11
-11
-9
-13
-26
-12
-23
7
-28
-25
-27
-32
-36
-35
-29
-16
-32
-8
-1
-13
-46
Lots of
textiles
0
6*
7*
-2
-3
0
0
8*
-2
2
3
4
-1
2
7
2
1
-10
-1
0
6*
-2
-2
-3
-2
-7
-10
-4
-6
Lots of electronic gadgets
-13
-5
-6
-14
-11
-7
-11
2
-12
-29 #
2
-4
-12
-9
-5
-10
-26
-21
-18
-24
-24
-29
-18
-20
-23
-9
-15
-14
-8
If we take a look at the factors that tend to affect the atmosphere in a room and its social significance, we
can see:
There are shortcomings especially re “important to meet others” and “a pleasant room to spend time in”.
The need for a cosy kitchen matches their actual situation fairly closely (except for Japan and Taiwan). In
Norway as many as 90% feel their own kitchens are warm and cosy and the room is considered pleasant
enough to spend time in. A likely explanation for the different result for the item warm and cosy in Norway
is that this attribute has become taken for granted when it comes to kitchens and for this reason people
actually add it less frequently to their wish lists.
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For respondents in the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, Germany and Slovakia the dream
kitchen is supposed to serve more as a meeting place with other people. And in order to live up to this,
the kitchen obviously has to be a pleasant room to spend time in. The difference re this item is not huge
in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. This aspect is emphasised in Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Taiwan, Japan and France.
Gap in %
Important to A pleasant
For various
Real - Ideal
meet others room to be in
activities
Total
-8
-7
-10
Austria
-5
3
-6
Belgium
-3
-3
-5
Denmark
-19
-3
-18
Finland
-6
-2
-7
France
-11
-23
4
Germany
-16
-10
-19
Italy
8
16
6
Netherlands
-20
-9
-20
Norway
-12
0
-7
Portugal
-4
9
2
Spain
-7
-1
-6
Spanish Islands
-11
-8
-17
Sweden
-6
0
-4
Switzerland
-18
-9
-20
UK
5
17
-2
Czech Rep.
-6
-17
-5
Hungary
-14
-12
-13
Poland
-5
3
-2
Russia
-2
-11
-1
Slovak Rep.
-15
-29
-6
China
-9
-23
-24
Japan
-16
-26
-20
Malaysia
-1
-1
-4
Taiwan
-12
-27
-22
Canada
-10
-8
-9
USA
-5
4
-11
Australia
-7
-5
-12
Saudi-Arabia
-13
-31
-23
Cosy, warm
-2
10
-7
-7
-1
-10
-10
14
-13
51*
11
2
-5
-4
-10
13
-11
-4
8
-4
8
-14
-20
1
-23
-3
1
-6
-5
Total
What we can say about the overall sample is that several of the more important items (i.e. those which
are mentioned most frequently for the dream kitchen) – namely: functional, cosy, a pleasant room to
spend time in – show only a slight difference between the current and desired situation. But the most
important item of all "spacious" shows one of the biggest discrepancies between desire and reality.
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We see other major shortcomings re “new” and “modern”.
total sample
New (<5 years)
Spacious
Modern
Lot of electronic gadgets
For various activities
Important to meet others
A pleasant room to stay
Cosy, warm
Functional
Lots of textiles
real
29
54
45
22
36
35
61
68
78
14
dream
60
79
63
35
46
43
68
70
78
14
difference
-31
-25
-18
-13
-10
-8
-7
-2
0
0
dissatisfied persons
differeal
dream rence
66
-55
11
83
-62
21
69
-52
17
13
38
-25
20
45
-25
16
39
-23
67
-41
26
66
-31
35
76
50
-26
9
15
-6
As this chart shows, those people who feel dissatisfied with their kitchen indicate far greater shortcomings
– especially for the items they consider important. The biggest gap here is for the item “spacious”, followed by “new” and “modern”. However, two other aspects apply: a pleasant room to spend time in and
cosy/warm.
We can safely conclude that it is precisely these two issues that trigger negative feelings among consumers about their kitchen situation at present: comfort and a sense that they enjoy spending time there.
Based on this, it is not the case that this group only thinks in functional terms and WANTS to spend the
minimum amount of time in the kitchen – instead there is obviously a certain longing for a pleasant, warm,
agreeable and spaciously designed kitchen.
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9. Satisfied – or dissatisfied?
9.1
What are respondents satisfied with?
Our respondents’ relationship with their children, followed by the one they have with their partner is a
source of great satisfaction. Their assessment of their social or work situation on the other hand is definitely more restrained. Consequently, their general level of satisfaction "with life" is somewhere in the
middle (with a somewhat pessimistic slant).
So how satisfied are they with their own kitchen – without wanting to measure its significance in this context? – At a rather modest 1.76 (on a scale of 1= completely satisfied to 4= completely dissatisfied).
best
worst
Children
1.35
NL, UK (1.15)
RU (1.73)
Spouse/partner
1.43
NL (1.15)
RU (1.87)
Social/work situation
1.78
NL (1.42)
RU (2.44)
Life in general
1.67
NL (1.30)
RU (2.17)
It is interesting to see that belonging to a specific socio-demographic group plays hardly any role here,
while nationality certainly does. Hence, Dutch people are generally very satisfied and Russians very dissatisfied with their lives.
Satisfaction with their relationship with their children is somewhat lower in the Czech and Slovak Republics, as it is in China (mean value around 1.5 in each case); in Japan a score of 1.6 and in Russia 1.7
shows the parents in this research are somewhat disappointed.
In Taiwan, China, Japan and Slovakia one’s partner is regarded as somewhat detached (mean value
approx. 1.6), and in Czech Republic (1.7) and Russia (1.9) he/she is certainly no longer an untroubled
source of joy and happiness.
The social and work situation is classified as especially critical in Eastern Europe (from 2/2.2 to 2.4 in
Russia!), Portugal, China and Japan (2 in each case).
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The result of all this is that life in Portugal, Czech and Slovak Republics, China and Japan is given a
mean rating of 1.9 and pessimistic, in Russia at 2.2 extremely negative.
9.2
Satisfaction with the kitchen
Further differences are discernible with regard to kitchens. Older respondents are more satisfied, as are
singles or small families, people in the country and owner-occupiers. Those most satisfied with their
kitchens are the Belgians (1.45). In Slovakia, Taiwan (both 2.0), Japan, China and Russia (each 2.2)
people are least satisfied with their kitchen at present.
It is possible that besides life itself (especially the social / work situation) their current living situation also
has an effect on their overall assessment – people who are less satisfied have an average of only five
rooms, whereas others have six rooms at their disposal.
If we analyse the share of the categories "completely satisfied" (overall average 38%) or "rather/completely dissatisfied" (overall average 12%), we see other factors involved: one in every two older
respondents is completely satisfied. In addition, Belgians (64%), Austrians (60%) and the British (56%)
plus Malaysians (54%) are very satisfied. Slovaks, Chinese, Saudi Arabians (22-23%) plus Russians and
Japanese (28% each) are particularly dissatisfied on the other hand.
9.3
Main causes of dissatisfaction
What are the elements of your kitchen that you are really dissatisfied with?
The main causes of dissatisfaction have to do with "space": too small, small countertop, not enough storage space (29, 28 and 26% respectively). One in every five complains that the kitchen is not modern
enough, 16% say they "don’t have the right equipment", while 11% feel their kitchen fails to meet their
needs and another 11% says it is an ugly colour or has unpleasant lighting.
A third of respondents (obviously from the “satisfied” group) had nothing to criticise at all.
Given their lower levels of satisfaction, there are more mentions from younger respondents – only re "not
enough storage space" it is remarkable that middle aged people (plus those with larger families) emphasise this item especially. Size per se is definitely a more common problem with renters in urban areas.
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While the average respondent mentions two items that annoy them, for the dissatisfied group it is four
items and the percentage values are correspondingly higher. But as the following chart shows, there are
arguments as to how this factor (and its potential to trigger dissatisfaction) is even higher – i.e. "too old",
"ugly colour", the general category of "not attractive" and "does not work for my needs".
in %
too small
small countertop
not enough storage space
too old
not the right equipment
does not work for needs
ugly colour
unpleasant lighting
not attractive
satisfied
24.7
24.7
22.5
14.7
12.6
7.3
8.6
8.9
5.4
dissatisfied
63.4
53.3
48.8
53.4
37.8
40.5
30.5
25.7
35.9
factor
2.6
2.2
2.2
3.6
3.0
5.5
3.5
2.9
6.6
Of all the markets in this research China and Japan are the ones with the most items mentioned: around
three annoying items were mentioned in each interview. In the Western European markets Denmark and
Switzerland are in these two top positions (>2 mentions).
Insufficient space is a problem especially in China and Japan, whether it is a case of small countertops,
not enough cabinets or simply the kitchen itself. Russians and Poles also frequently complain about the
size of their kitchens.
Besides the abovementioned items, respondents in the US, Canada, France, Switzerland and Germany
have to make do with small countertops. The fact that there is not enough storage space is especially
dissatisfactory in the Western European markets of Denmark and Switzerland (30-32%), but North Americans (39%) are also familiar with this problem.
The kitchen’s age is an annoying factor especially in Japan, China, Denmark and Australia. And not having the right equipment adds to the level of dissatisfaction in Eastern Europe and China. The kitchen does
not work for the needs of one in every three Chinese, and one in four does not like the colour. Japanese
object strongly to the light and lack of attractiveness in general.
Those who are most satisfied with these items are – unsurprisingly – the Italians (1.4 negative items mentioned on average) and in Asia the Malaysians (1.5).
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9.4
Why not a new kitchen?
What prevents respondents from turning their dream kitchen into the real thing? Here the following points
apply for the sample overall:
in %
Total
satisfied
dissatisfied
no money
41
38
61
is not important for me
24
25
17
no time
21
20
28
too involving
20
19
29
would need professional advice
17
16
25
not allowed
13
12
24
my kitchen is perfect
29
38
61
What is certainly more revealing is the position of the dissatisfied group shown in the third column (whose
negative state of mind might prompt them to take action). Financial limitations are the main obstacle but
time, work and a need for advice are issues that also play a considerable role.
Money is more often a problem for younger people and women, time and work pressure are an obstacle
for an above average number of younger respondents, and a need for advice usually for women (men on
the other hand usually argue that the subject is not that important to them).
A total of 29% state that their kitchen is perfect and does not need to be changed. Older people especially
are more satisfied in this case.
Of the renters, only 30% admit they would not be allowed to make any changes. From another point of
view this means 70% of renters believe the reason for not renovating their kitchen is not primarily due to a
lack of approval from their landlord.
Lack of funds is cited most frequently in Japan, Poland and Hungary (58-64%), as well as in Russia and
Australia (55-52%).
Lack of time is an obstacle in China, Japan, Taiwan and Australia (more than 30%), but also in Sweden
and Hungary (26%).
Respondents fear it would involve too much effort in Germany, China and Taiwan, Canada and Australia
(31%), and especially in Japan (35%).
The same applies basically to "would need professional advice": a counterargument for around 30% in
Australia (31%), Germany (29%), Canada (28%), Switzerland (27%), and especially Japan (48%).
Global report “Complete Kitchen Living” 2005
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One in three Danes, Germans, Spanish Island residents, Hungarians, Japanese, Canadians and Australians can live perfectly well without a perfect kitchen: actually having a dream kitchen is not that important
to them. And in Switzerland one in three people is not even allowed to do any alterations themselves.
9.5
Or maybe a new kitchen after all?
However, if you were to win the lottery and time and money were no object to renovating your kitchen –
what would you do?
In this case 57% would renew their kitchen, especially younger respondents, women, plus individuals in
larger households. Under these circumstances 81% of the dissatisfied but even 53% of the satisfied
would not hesitate to renovate their kitchens.
On the other hand, older respondents (52%), men (42%), singles / couples (48%) would not spend their
good fortune on a new kitchen at all.
The majority would stick with the status quo in the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Belgium and Italy
(here as many as 57%). Incidentally, these are all countries that are more satisfied than average with
their kitchens. In contrast, Saudi Arabians 81%, Japanese (72%) and Poles (70%) would invest a lot in
this kind of renovation.
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10. Satisfaction Index
An Index of Satisfaction has been developed based on the results for the questions:

level of satisfaction with the kitchen (weight: 0.5)

differences/gap between ideal and real kitchen (weight: 0.2)

number of dissatisfying elements of the kitchen (weight: 0.15)

would re-do the kitchen, if time and money were not an object (weight: 0.15)
The maximum value is 100 and a level of 69.7 was recorded for the overall study. This index is certainly
lower for younger respondents, the same applies to renters or urban dwellers. Even in larger households
this satisfaction index is lower. In turn this means that older people, owner-occupiers, people in the country and small families show a higher level of satisfaction with their kitchens.
Even though men and women use kitchens in very different ways, their satisfaction ratings are virtually
identical – the difference is only two points (in favour of men).
It is clear from these findings that people who use or can use their kitchens in a variety of ways are definitely more satisfied with them.
And of course there are clear differences between regions as well. In Western Europe the level of satisfaction is generally the highest (average 73 points) – and the most satisfied respondents live here: Belgians and Italians (76 points each). The only "outlier" is Portugal, which with 68 counts is the only Western European country under the 70 limit.
North America (in both countries 69 points) comes second.
Satisfaction levels in Australia and Eastern Europe are the same at 67 points, but the differences between individual Eastern European countries is considerable:
Hungary
72
Poland
69
Czech Republic
67
Slovak Republic
63
Russia
62
The lowest rate of satisfaction is in Asia (average 62 points) – although this does not apply to Malaysia
(with an impressive 73 points). The average here is impacted by two very different societies. Both China
as well as Japan record by far the lowest satisfaction index in this research (57 points).
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The Kitchen Satisfaction Index
Country
Index
Region
MEAN
69.69
AUSTRIA
77.1
Western Europe
BELGIUM
76.38
Western Europe
ITALY
76.01
Western Europe
NETHERLANDS
74.78
Western Europe
GERMANY
74.27
Western Europe
UK
73.07
Western Europe
NORWAY
73.04
Western Europe
MALAYSIA
72.89
Far East
FINLAND
72.66
Western Europe
HUNGARY
72.46
Eastern Europe
DENMARK
72.43
Western Europe
SWITZERLAND
72.2
Western Europe
FRANCE
72.16
Western Europe
SWEDEN
71.82
Western Europe
SPANISH ISLANDS
71.43
Western Europe
SPAIN
71.38
Western Europe
USA
69.25
North America
CANADA
69.23
North America
POLAND
69.04
Eastern Europe
PORTUGAL
68.43
Western Europe
AUSTRALIA
67.16
Australia
CZECH REP.
66.94
Eastern Europe
TAIWAN
63.52
Far East
SLOVAK REP.
63.46
Eastern Europe
RUSSIA
61.86
Eastern Europe
SAUDIA ARABIA
61.54
Middle East
CHINA
57.28
Far East
JAPAN
56.78
Far East
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11. Summary – The Headlines
The kitchen is the most important room for 26% of all respondents – it comes just after the living room
which is for 40% the main living area in the home. The kitchen is favoured by women, those over 35
years and by people in rural areas. The importance of a room is related to the time spent there, its social
function and / or visibility. Especially kitchen-friendly countries are Italy, Norway, Sweden and Finland (up
to 50%). On the other hand, the kitchen is the most irrelevant room for 23% of the respondents in SaudiArabia and has lower priority in Asian countries.
One in five people spends the most time in the kitchen and – the gender gap is not surprising – one third
of the women. And people are especially keen to spend their time in the kitchen when they are satisfied
with the room’s design and when it serves a variety of purposes (the eat-in kitchen satisfies theses criteria
the most).
The kitchen is used by a majority “to eat with the family” (60%), only a quarter of respondents listed this
room as “exclusively for cooking”. For family discussions, socialising or “to eat with guests” are listed by a
third. The multi-functionality of the kitchen is stressed by women (to result in spending a longer time
there) and the middle aged group (with an intense family life). Romantic encounters in the kitchen take
place in 10% of the households.
The kitchen is a more social room in Italy, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, Hungary, Czech Republic,
and Canada. In theses countries activities like “to eat with family”, “for family discussions”, “to socialise” or
“to eat with guests” take place more often than average (for at least one or several activities).
In Asian countries and particularly Saudi Arabia, kitchens are separated areas and a place considered as
“exclusively for cooking”.
The importance of the kitchen as a social platform is accompanied by higher satisfaction, whereas a
kitchen “exclusively for cooking” leads to more dissatisfaction (it is uncertain what is reason or consequence). A multifunctional kitchen is regarded more important (especially in Sweden and Italy), a kitchen
used only for cooking is more often irrelevant (Saudi Arabia, China, Taiwan, Spain).
The average time spent in the kitchen is 2 ¼ hours at a workday and 2 hours 24 minutes at the weekend.
Women spend around 1 hr 6 mins longer in the kitchen than men (workday), and apart from men especially younger people spend less time in the kitchen.
Time spent purely on cooking is on a workday 1 hours, at the weekend this time increases by 10 minutes.
The difference between weekend and workday is greater among middle-aged respondents and women.
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An influence on the time spent in the kitchen can also be found for the size of households: the larger the
household, the more time women spend in the kitchen and the less time men spend in this area of the
home.
Italians clearly spend the most time on average in the kitchen (3 hrs 11 mins), people in China (1 hr 29
mins) and Taiwan (1 hr 31 mins) stay there for the shortest amount of time.
The world of gender-role stereotypes is still very much intact: 77% of the woman cooks mostly in the
households, only in 15% of the cases it is the man. The larger the household, the more often women are
the responsible cook. In China, Canada, USA, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Australia,
male participation is clearly above average.
Apart from 47% who never think about what they wear for cooking, 26% always wear aprons (particularly
women and older persons), one in every four changes their clothes and 16% have cooked naked or wearing only underwear at least once (more often younger respondents, males and singles).
The typical eating situation is for 80% together with the family, one third normally eat alone. The TV accompanies meals in 44% of the cases – not only in single households but also while eating together with
the family.
The dominance of the Italian cuisine was confirmed by 28% of the respondents (especially preferred in
German speaking countries), followed by Chinese food fans with 16% (above average in the UK and
Netherlands in Western Europe). Only rare mentions for “foreign food” are found in Russia and Saudi
Arabia. Possible reasons for this could be little contact with these types of food in the past, a certain local
pride and religious dietary laws. Younger respondents are generally more receptive – and mentions are
independent of urban or rural localities.
If respondents do not feel like cooking, they usually have a cold snack (40%). One in five would eat convenience products and 17% would get something from the fridge. A home delivery service (or take away)
would be used by around 15%.
Obviously the basic kitchen appliances are a fridge, cooker and hot plate or oven. Three quarters of the
households own a microwave and more than two thirds have a toaster and blender. A freezer and coffee /
espresso machine are also found in a majority of kitchens. Where a kitchen is perceived as especially
relevant or where it is used for different activities, it is usually better equipped. Respondents who would
like to renovate their kitchens are more unlikely to own a dishwasher or coffee / espresso machine. And
the more satisfied people are (with their kitchen) the more of these appliances they mention.
The penetration of equipment such as microwaves, TVs and computers is highest in Western Europe,
North America and Australia, while the lowest rate is in Asia – except Japan with the highest number of
mentions of all countries. Russia is below the global average for ALL appliances.
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The main attributes of the real kitchen are functional, cosy / warm and therefore – even though it is old –
a room respondents like to spend time in. More than half of the respondents think their kitchen is spacious, 45% classify it as modern.
A man’s kitchen is more often modern and equipped with a lot of fancy gadgets, a woman’s kitchen is
cosy, a pleasant room to stay, a meeting place and for different activities. Kitchens in urban and rural
areas differ mainly regarding size / atmosphere and the social significance of the room. In the country
they are roomier, warmer and more traditional – and suitable for different activities and social life.
Women described their ideal kitchen more often as cosy / warm and “a pleasant room to stay“, “important
to meet other”. They also stress those items, which are currently typical of a woman’s real kitchen. For
urban dwellers the dream kitchen should be new, modern and equipped with electronic gadgets. Whereas
in the country attributes like functional, warmer, for various activities and social aspects are more important.
In the overall sample one can see that for several of the most important items (mentioned most frequently
for the dream kitchen) -namely: functional, cosy and a pleasant room to stay – only few differences between the current and desired situation can be found. But the attribute “spacious” shows the biggest gap
between ideal and real. Other major shortcomings are “new” and “modern”. People who feel dissatisfied
with their kitchen indicate far greater discrepancies. The biggest gaps are for “spacious”, followed by
“new” and “modern” – and two other aspects: “a pleasant room to stay” and cosy / warm.
in %
A pleasant room to stay
Cosy, warm
dissatisfied persons
differeal
dream rence
67
-41
26
66
-31
35
The conclusion: these two attributes trigger negative feelings among consumers about their kitchen situation at present: comfort and a sense that they enjoy spending time there. These main reasons for critics
correspond to the discrepancies between the real – ideal kitchen mentioned above.
The overall satisfaction with the kitchen shows a rather modest mean of 1.76 (1= completely satisfied to
4= completely dissatisfied). Older respondents, singles or small families, people in the country and owners are more satisfied. It is possible that the current living situation has an effect on the level of satisfaction: respondents who are less satisfied have an average of only five rooms, whereas others have six
rooms at their disposal.
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The main causes of dissatisfaction have to do with “space” (too small, small countertop, not enough storage space (29, 28 resp. 26%). One in every five complains that the kitchen is not modern enough, 16%
say they "don’t have the right equipment", while 11% feel their kitchen fails to meet their needs and another 11% says it is an ugly colour or has unpleasant lighting.
Mentions for dissatisfied respondents are correspondingly higher, the most important arguments (with a
high factor) for this group are:
in %
too old
does not work for needs
ugly colour
not attractive
satisfied
14.7
7.3
8.6
5.4
dissatisfied
53.4
40.5
30.5
35.9
factor
3.6
5.5
3.5
6.6
What prevents respondents from turning their dream kitchen into the real thing? Financial limitations are
the main obstacle but time, work and a need for advice are issues that also play a considerable role.
in %
no money
is not important for me
no time
too involving
would need professional advice
not allowed
my kitchen is perfect
dissatisfied
61
17
28
29
25
24
61
However, if time and money were not an object – who would re-do the kitchen?
57% would take this chance, especially younger respondents, women and individuals in larger households. Under these circumstances 81% of the dissatisfied but even 53% of the satisfied would not hesitate to renovate their kitchens. On the other hand, older respondents (52%), men (42%), singles / couples
(48%) would not spend their good fortune on a new kitchen at all.
For the index (max. 100), for the overall study 69.7 was recorded. The satisfaction index is lower for
younger respondents, renters and urban dwellers. Even though men and women use kitchens in very
different ways, their satisfaction ratings are virtually identical. The findings show furthermore that people
who use their kitchens in a variety of ways are definitely more satisfied with them.
The most satisfied respondents live in Belgium and Italy (76 points each). China as well as Japan show
the lowest satisfaction index (57 points) in this research.
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11.1 General Findings
The following remarks show some outstanding and "typical" findings per market.
Western Europe:

Austria: Highest satisfaction index, very satisfied kitchen users (as well as satisfied with life in general). Austrians spend much time in the kitchen and for cooking, love Italian food (like all German
speaking countries)

Belgium: Satisfaction clearly above average (2. in the satisfaction index), kitchen is important for families (to eat in) – many separate kitchens, a place for children with a lot of electronic gadgets

Switzerland: Functional and older kitchens, every second dreams of an island, love Italian food (like
all German speaking countries) and cold dinners, main critics: not enough countertops

Germany: Satisfaction above average, they like functional but cosy / warm kitchens, should be more
often a meeting point and multi-functional equipped very good, money is a main reason not to realise
the dream kitchen, love Italian food (like all German speaking countries)

Denmark: kitchen is a pleasant room to stay, a room for kids, functionality is real and dream, do not
think about what to wear in the kitchen.

Spain: Stay longer in the kitchen on workdays, traditional gender-roles, many users of an apron or
change of clothes before working in the kitchen

Spanish Islands: many rooms, important to eat with the family, traditional gender-roles, real: cosy –
ideal: new, for every third a dream is not so important, do cook in the nude sometimes.

Finland: Kitchen is the most important room, a very social area: to eat with family & guests - family
discussions - socialising, have cooked in the nude, many microwaves

France: many aprons, love their own cuisine, separate kitchen layout is found often, in contrast to the
historical importance of the French cuisine, the kitchen area has not the same relevance.

UK: kitchens are equipped with washing machines, real: almost every second kitchen is new (< than
5 years), modern, functional, Chinese kitchen is important, men more often working in the kitchen

Italy: Kitchen is most important, very satisfied, social aspects are very important (to eat with family),
TV is almost omnipresent, much time is spent in the kitchen – particularly women (traditional genderrole), prefer their own cuisine, 50% have no critics  kitchen is perfect!

The Netherlands: living room fans, every third kitchen is exclusively for cooking, fast cooks on work
day – at the weekends: more time for cooking, very satisfied with partnership, satisfied with kitchen

Norway: Kitchen is most important room, social aspects are emphasised: to eat with family - family
discussions - for the kids playing / homework, very multi-functional room, many respondents eat
alone, real kitchen: cosy, spacious

Portugal: to eat with the family is important, kitchens are equipped with washing machine >50%, open
kitchen is common, many apron users (54%), traditional
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
Sweden: Kitchen is the most important room, social aspects are important: to eat with family & guests
– socialising, romance occurs, highest mentions for cooking men, telephone is important, many different activities, eat-in kitchens are common.
Eastern Europe:

Czech Republic: multi-functional kitchen, to eat with the family is important, many respondents drink
out of the container

Hungary: very multi-functional kitchen, social aspects are important: to eat with family – family discussions - socialising, cooking on Sundays is laborious, change of clothes before cooking, highest
satisfaction Index for east European countries, every third spends most time in the kitchen at home

Poland: spend a lot of time in the kitchen, would re-do this room, critics: do not have the right equipment, no money to realise the dream kitchen

Russia: very dissatisfied with social and work situation & kitchen, satisfaction for all categories lowest
spend a lot of time in the kitchen, is important to eat with the family, equipment is not satisfying, traditional gender-roles

Slovak Republic: to eat with the family is important, many respondents drink out of the container, cold
dinner is popular, many stereo / TV / computer
Middle East:

Saudi-Arabia: highest number of rooms, kitchen is not important (for 25%: most irrelevant), kitchen is
exclusively for cooking and an area for women, not considered as a cosy room, eating with the family
& in front of the TV is important, many respondents would re-do the kitchen
Asia:

China: Bedroom is most important, the most kitchens: exclusively for cooking, only short stays, many
apron users, dream of kitchen islands, dissatisfied with the kitchen (lowest index), would re-do kitchen, many causes for dissatisfaction

Japan: kitchen is a room for women, traditional gender-roles, romance occurs, never think what they
wear for cooking, eating with the family, alone, in front of the TV (leaders), highest number of mentions for different equipment, dissatisfied with kitchen, lowest satisfaction index,

Malaysia: kitchen is exclusively for cooking, traditional gender-roles, eating with the family is important, satisfaction for all categories is higher than in the other Asian countries, almost 50% do not
mention critics

Taiwan: kitchen is not important, bedroom most important room, exclusively for cooking, short stays
in the kitchen, many apron users, dream of a kitchen island
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North America, Australia:

Canada: a lot of living space, kitchen is the most important room, 25% spend most of the time in the
kitchen, island is very popular

USA: a lot of living space, dream of a kitchen island, convenience meals are popular, many kitchens
are equipped with ice maker / crusher, microwaves, many open kitchen

Australia: high number of rooms to live in, dream of a kitchen island, talk on the phone, highest number of toasters, the most open kitchens, with bars & islands! To realise the dream kitchen is not so
important (> 1/3)
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