May 21, 2012
5/21: More than Seven in Ten Tie Happiness and Success to Weight
NY1/YNN/Marist New York State Poll
They say money can’t buy happiness, but can being thin? According to this NY1/YNN-Marist Poll, 72% of New York State adults think someone who is thin is happier than someone who is overweight. 13% disagree and report that a person who is overweight is happier, and 15% are unsure.
Click Here for Complete May 21, 2012 NYS NY1/YNN-Marist Poll Release and Tables
When it comes to success, the same proportion of New York State adults — 72% — report someone who is thin is more successful while 8% say those who are overweight are. One in five — 20% — is unsure.
Income makes a difference. Nearly eight in ten New Yorkers who earn $100,000 or more a year — 79% — say thin people are more successful. This compares with 72% of those who make between $50,000 and just under $100,000 annually and 69% who make less than $50,000 a year.
There is no age difference on this question. Regardless of age, more than seven in ten think someone who is thin is more successful than someone who is overweight.
How do New Yorkers perceive their own weight? 68% describe themselves as about the right weight for their size and age. 29% say they are overweight while only 4% think they are underweight.
Table: Level of Happiness Related to Weight
Table: Level of Success Related to Weight
Fast Food Fanatics? Six in Ten New Yorkers Pass
60% of adults in New York say they have not eaten in a fast food restaurant during the past week. One in four — 25% — visited a fast food joint at least one day last week, 7% have eaten a meal in such an establishment two days while 4% have dined at a fast food establishment three days. Four is the number of days reported by 2% of New Yorkers while just 1% has eaten at a restaurant similar to McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s five days during the last week. Two percent report eating at a fast food restaurant all seven days.
New Yorkers who report eating at a fast food restaurant in the past week did so on average of close to two days — 1.8 days.
Younger New Yorkers are more likely to have visited a fast food restaurant than older New Yorkers. 63% of New Yorkers under 30, 44% of those 30 to 44, 38% of residents 45 to 59, and 23% of those 60 and older have dined at this type of restaurant at least once in the past week.
Table: Number of Days Eaten a Meal in a Fast Food Restaurant
Table: Number of Days Eaten a Meal in a Fast Food Restaurant (Average)