Battle of the Bulge: Majority of Americans Want to Lose Weight

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Many Americans will be loosening their belts for this year's Thanksgiving feast and may put on a few extra pounds, but a recent Gallup Poll finds a substantial number of Americans -- more than four in 10 -- already describe themselves as overweight. What's more, an even higher percentage, six in 10, say they would like to lose weight, and about the same number report that they currently weigh more than their self-identified "ideal" weight. Still, only one in four Americans are actively taking steps to reduce, a number that is remarkably similar to what Gallup polling found 51 years ago.

More Than 4 in 10 Americans Currently Report Being Overweight

The Nov. 11-14 Gallup Poll asked respondents to describe their personal weight situation. A slight majority of Americans, 51%, say their weight is about right, while 42% say they are overweight, and 6% say underweight. Gallup has found similar results on this measure over the past three years. In 1990, the percentage of Americans who described themselves as overweight was slightly higher, at 48%.

Personal Weight Situation Right Now

In recent years, medical authorities have increasingly documented the relationship between people's weight and their overall physical health, pointing to evidence that obesity is correlated with increased chances of heart trouble, cancer, and diabetes.

The recent survey documents this relationship, based on Americans' description of their health on the one hand and their description of their weight on the other. By a 21% to 45% margin, overweight respondents were about half as likely as others to describe their physical health as "excellent."

Roughly 6 in 10 Americans Weigh More Than Their Ideal Weight

Americans are apparently more reluctant to use the label "overweight" to describe their situation than they are to admit that they need to lose a few pounds. As noted above, just 42% characterize themselves as overweight, but in the same survey, about six in 10 respondents say that their ideal weight is lower than their current weight, and about the same number say they would like to lose weight.

According to respondents' self-reports of their current weight and their stated ideal weight, 63% of Americans weigh more than their ideal, by an average of 16 pounds. Roughly one in four adults (23%) weighs up to 10 pounds more than their ideal weight. An additional 14% weigh between 11 and 20 pounds more, 9% weigh between 21 and 30 pounds more, and 16% weigh more than 30 pounds above their ideal weight.

What is your approximate current weight?

What do you think is the ideal body weight for you, personally?

2002 Nov 11-14		National Adults		Men		Women
		%		%		%
Under ideal Weight		13		16		10
More than 20 lbs.	(2)		(3)		(1)
11-20 lbs.	(4)		(5)		(3)
6-10 lbs.	(3)		(4)		(2)
1-5 lbs.	(4)		(4)		(4)
At ideal weight		18		23		14
Over ideal Weight		63		59		66
1-5 lbs.	(11)		(12)		(11)
6-10 lbs.	(12)		(10)		(13)
11-20 lbs.	(14)		(13)		(16)
21-30 lbs.	(9)		(10)		(8)
31-50 lbs.	(8)		(8)		(9)
More than 50 lbs.	(8)		(6)		(9)
Undesignated		6		2		9
Mean		+15.5		+12.4		+18.6
Median		+10.0		+5.0		+10.0

Women are slightly more likely than men to report their actual weight as higher than their ideal weight. Two-thirds of women, compared with just about six in 10 men, weigh more than their ideal weight.

The average man in America weighs about 12 pounds more than he thinks he should, while the average woman weighs 19 pounds more than she thinks she should.

These findings comparing ideal to actual weight are underscored by the responses to a basic question that asks Americans whether they would like to gain weight, stay the same, or lose weight. Only about a third of the nation's adults are content with their current weight. Nearly six in 10 Americans, 58%, want to lose weight, and just about one in 10 want to gain weight.

Gallup's latest findings provide a stark contrast to the situation 51 years ago, when Gallup first asked Americans to comment on their weight. At that time, in 1951, half of those surveyed wanted to maintain their current weight, while only 31% wanted to lose weight and 17% wanted to gain weight.

In short, the percentage of Americans who feel they should lose weight has essentially doubled over the last half-century, from 31% to 58%, most likely due to the significantly increased focus in American society on weight (from both an appearance and health standpoint) and perhaps due to the fact that Americans are in reality more overweight today than they were in past decades (as many medical authorities have shown).

Lose Weight, Gain Weight, or Maintain Current Weight?

Nov 11-14, 2002

Women have historically been more inclined than men to say they want to lose weight. The current poll finds that 66% of women, compared with 49% of men, want to lose weight. Even when this question was first asked in 1951, twice as many women as men admitted that they wanted to lose weight, by a 44% to 21% margin.

Men Versus Women: Percent Who Want to "Lose Weight"

Few Americans Actually Trying to Lose Weight Today

In general, there is a great divide between what Americans think they should be doing in regard to their weight and what they actually report doing. Although a majority of Americans want to lose weight, only one-quarter of adults are "seriously trying to lose weight" right now. Gallup has found only slight variation on this measure over the past five decades.

Desire to Lose Weight Versus "Seriously Trying to Lose Weight" Right Now

Here is a look at the relationship between those who identify themselves as overweight on the one hand and those who want to lose weight on the other. Note that over a third of those who think their weight is about right still say that they would like to lose weight:

	Overweight	About Right	Underweight
Want to lose weight	92%	36	9
Want to stay at present weight	7%	57	37
Want to gain weight	1%	7	54

Survey Methods

The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,001 adults, 18 years and older, conducted November 11-14, 2002. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

How would you describe your own personal weight situation right now -- very overweight, somewhat overweight, about right, somewhat underweight, or very underweight?

	Very over- weight	Somewhat over- weight	About right	Somewhat under-weight	Very under-weight	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2002 Nov 11-14	6	36	51	5	1	1
2002 Jul 9-11	6	34	55	5	*	*
2001 Nov 8-11	6	38	51	4	*	1
2001 Jul 19-22	5	41	49	5	*	*
1999 Jul 22-25	4	35	53	6	1	1
1990 Oct 11-14	7	41	46	5	1	*

What is your approximate current weight?

	124 lbs. or less	125-149 lbs.	150-174 lbs.	175-199 lbs.	200 lbs. and over	No opinion	Average weight
	%	%	%	%	%	%	Lbs.
National Adults
2002 Nov 11-14	9	22	22	18	25	4	173
2001 Nov 8-11	8	20	24	22	22	4	171
2001 Jul 19-22	8	19	26	20	22	5	173
1999 Jul 22-25	11	19	25	20	20	4	170
1990 Oct 11-14	12	27	27	16	15	3	161
Men
2002 Nov 11-14	1	8	25	24	41	1	193
2001 Nov 8-11	1	8	22	33	35	1	189
2001 Jul 19-22	3	8	26	28	34	1	188
1999 Jul 22-25	1	6	27	31	33	2	190
1990 Oct 11-14	2	11	35	27	25	*	180
Women
2002 Nov 11-14	15	35	21	12	10	7	153
2001 Nov 8-11	15	31	26	11	11	6	153
2001 Jul 19-22	13	29	26	12	12	8	158
1999 Jul 22-25	20	32	24	9	8	7	150
1990 Oct 11-14	21	42	20	7	5	5	142

Would you like to [ROTATED: lose weight, stay at your present weight, or put on weight]?

	Lose weight	Put on weight	Stay at present	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
National Adults
2002 Nov 11-14	58	8	34	*
2001 Jul 19-22	59	7	34	*
1999 Jul 22-25	52	9	39	*
1996 Feb 23-25	55	4	41	*
1990 Oct 11-14	52	7	40	1
1957 Aug 29-Sep 4	35	11	49	5
1955 Jun 24-29	37	13	48	2
1954 Jul 2-7	35	14	50	1
1953 Feb 1-5	37	13	49	1
1951	31	17	50	2
Men
2002 Nov 11-14	49	11	40	*
2001 Jul 19-22	49	12	39	0
1999 Jul 22-25	44	13	43	*
1996 Feb 23-25	45	6	49	*
1990 Oct 11-14	42	10	47	1
1957 Aug 29-Sep 4	25	14	56	5
1955 Jun 24-29	24	16	58	2
1954 Jul 2-7	26	16	58	*
1953 Feb 1-5	10	20	68	2
1951	21	20	57	2
Women
2002 Nov 11-14	66	4	30	*
2001 Jul 19-22	68	2	30	*
1999 Jul 22-25	58	5	37	*
1996 Feb 23-25	63	3	34	*
1990 Oct 11-14	61	4	34	1
1957 Aug 29-Sep 4	45	8	42	5
1955 Jun 24-29	49	10	38	3
1954 Jul 2-7	45	12	42	1
1953 Feb 1-5	43	11	45	1
1951	44	12	43	1

What do you think is the ideal body weight for you, personally?

	124 lbs. or less	125-149 lbs.	150-174 lbs.	175-199 lbs.	200 lbs. and over	No opinion	Average weight
	%	%	%	%	%	%	Lbs.
National Adults
2002 Nov 11-14	15	28	24	18	11	4	157
2001 Jul 19-22	11	31	26	20	9	3	156
1999 Jul 22-25	13	31	23	19	12	3	157
1990 Oct 11-14	18	32	24	16	6	4	149
Men
2002 Nov 11-14	1	8	31	34	24	2	181
2001 Jul 19-22	2	8	31	38	19	2	177
1999 Jul 22-25	*	8	28	37	23	3	180
1990 Oct 11-14	1	10	41	33	12	3	171
Women
2002 Nov 11-14	27	46	17	3	1	6	134
2001 Jul 19-22	20	51	22	3	*	4	137
1999 Jul 22-25	25	52	17	3	1	2	136
1990 Oct 11-14	32	51	10	2	*	5	129

At this time are you seriously trying to lose weight?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
National Adults
2002 Nov 11-14	24	75	1
2001 Jul 19-22	25	75	*
1999 Jul 22-25	20	80	*
1996 Feb 23-25	26	74	*
1990 Oct 11-14	18	82	*
1955	17	83	*
1953	25	75	*
1951	19	81	*
Men
2002 Nov 11-14	19	80	1
2001 Jul 19-22	17	82	1
1999 Jul 22-25	16	84	*
1996 Feb 23-25	22	78	*
1990 Oct 11-14	11	88	1
Women
2002 Nov 11-14	30	70	*
2001 Jul 19-22	32	68	0
1999 Jul 22-25	24	76	*
1996 Feb 23-25	30	70	*
1990 Oct 11-14	24	76	*

* -- Less than 0.5%