Americans have mixed and contradictory views on obesity
The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.
Why we asked about Americans and obesity: Ever since GLP-1s rewrote the story on obesity as a disease that can be treated, we’ve been tracking sentiment around these medications and also obesity in general.
What we found: This is one of those things where science is moving so fast that long-held opinions and ideas are being rethought, but also… not. We find two in three now see obesity as a disease and a nearly unanimous 92% see it as a public health problem. So far so good. But then a growing majority (74% up from 66% a year ago) see new medications showing potential to treat obesity. And yet, a growing majority (63%, up from 58% a year ago) of the same people say that obesity can only be solved by diet and exercise. Eight in ten see the ultra-processed foods and beverages as the cause of obesity. That’s a lot of really mixed signals that are growing even more mixed the more we learn about this and its treatments.
More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:
More Americans are feeling ‘comfortable’ economically, as fewer believe prices have risen
Most Americans drink caffeine daily, but it’s not just coffee
What are we willing to give up? Booze tops the list
The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?
