Almost a quarter of Australians aged 14 and older eat salmon in an average seven-day period, according to recent data from Roy Morgan Research.
According to the study, in the 12 months to March 2014, 24 percent of Australians ate salmon in any given seven days — almost half the amount who ate fish of any kind (53 percent).
“However, it seems that…salmon is an acquired taste. Only 11 percent of Australians aged 14-17 eat it in an average seven days, with its popularity rising among the older age groups, especially those past the half-century mark,” the market research firm reported.
Thirty percent of Australians aged 50 to 64 and 32 percent of those more than 65 years old eat salmon. The 50-plus age market is also ahead of the younger age groups when it comes to overall fish consumption.
The type of salmon a person eats also seems to vary with age. While fresh salmon is preferred across all age groups, smoked salmon is second on the list for those under 65, while those more than 65 are also frequent canned salmon consumers.
“Nearly one in four Australians consume some form of salmon in an average seven-day period, with fresh salmon being the favorite variety for all age groups. Salmon is especially popular with older age groups. This could be because the unusual texture of salmon takes some time to get used to, or it could be that older Aussies are just more health-conscious generally,” said Angela Smith, Roy Morgan Research consumers products group account director.
“Fourty-one percent of ‘Bluechip’ individuals eat salmon in an average seven days — well above the national average. Bluechip tend to be highly educated and highly paid, with a strong leaning towards the finer things in life. They’re also very health conscious, but unwilling to sacrifice taste for the sake of dietary virtue. Salmon fits that bill perfectly.
“On the other hand, only 12 percent of ‘Making the Rent’ consume salmon. Typically young (many are still in their teens), often from non-Anglo backgrounds, Making the Rent often struggle to make ends meet. Like so many meats and fish, fresh salmon is not cheap, so may not make it onto their grocery list for that reason.”
