OVER half of UK students regularly order a takeaway rather than cooking their own meal – often up to five times per week – according to new national research.

The recent study, conducted by Foodhub, one of the UK’s leading food ordering apps, investigated the eating habits of students as the new academic year began this September.

More than half (52%) of students choose to order a takeaway over cooking at university, with almost 40% of students saying they’d happily spend between £10 – £20 on a takeaway and a third admitting they spend up to £30 on a takeaway for themselves.

The study also discovered that 1 in 10 (11%) participants order a takeaway three times a week, with 14% ordering once a week and 18% of students admitted to tucking into a takeaway four or five times every week.

Despite the adage that students during termtime can be lazy when it comes to culinary creativity, over half (52%) of the participants claim they order more takeaways at home compared to when at university.

This could come down to a finance problem, with almost a quarter of students (23%) identifying cost as the most important factor when choosing a takeaway, with the type of cuisine being the main priority (32%).

A whopping 93% of students said they would switch to a new takeaway delivery app if it was cheaper than its competitors, showing that money is one of the main elements in student’s takeaway ordering habits.

Ardian Mula, Foodhub spokesperson, said: “With the academic year rolling around again we wanted to investigate how students’ eating habits change, now they are living independently and managing their own finances.

“While we were surprised to find out that students order more takeaways at home rather than at university, we weren’t shocked to see how many people were interested in having a cheaper option at their fingertips.

“Foodhub, unlike its rivals, doesn’t take commission from local takeaways which means that on average, food ordered via Foodhub is 15% cheaper than when ordering on other delivery apps.

“With the majority of students claiming they’d happily spend up to £20 on a takeaway, and some even more, with Foodhub’s saving, this could come down to £17 – every little helps. We are immensely proud of our non-commission model which not only works out cheaper for the restaurants, but also the customer too, meaning everybody wins!”

Surprisingly, over 1 in 10 students (15%) don’t use takeaway delivery apps at all, despite 62% of participants stating delivery apps are the most convenient method of ordering a takeaway.

In terms of favourite cuisine amongst students, Italian came out on top (43%), with Chinese following behind (39%) and Indian rounding off the top three (33%).

The most heart-warming statistic from the survey revealed that a staggering 62% of participants spend more time with their flatmates or loved ones when they order a takeaway compared to when they cook a homemade meal for themselves.

The study also saw a gender divide as 37% of females said they prefer cooking for themselves, compared to just 24% of males.

Students in Aberdeen have the biggest takeaway craving, as 59% admitted to ordering a takeaway multiple times a day, with 33% of Oxford students ordering three times a week.

UK’S STUDENTS FAVOURITE TAKEAWAY CUISINE

Italian
Chinese
Indian
Fish & Chips
Burger
Thai
Kebab
Mexican
Sushi
Dessert