Nick@Nite/TV Land Family Table Study

[Pavan]

Families Who Make Dining Together a Priority Describe Themselves as Closer, More Connected and Less Likely to Raise Kids at Risk for Destructive Behaviors, TV Land & Nick at Nite Study Finds


80% of Americans Feel It Is Difficult For Most Families to Find The Time To
Eat Together

NEW YORK, Nov. 29 -- A new study has found that families who
consistently dine together and focus on one another at mealtime are more
likely to describe themselves as very satisfied with the closeness of their
families. Further, families who make this commitment are more likely to say
that their kids are less susceptible to participate in destructive behaviors
such as drinking alcohol and feeling disconnected from their families.
The study -- commissioned by TV Land and Nick at Nite to better understand
contemporary family dining trends -- is the latest endeavor from the two
Classic TV networks' pro-social initiative: TV Land and Nick at Nite's Family
Table: Share More Than Meals, an effort by the two leading cable networks to
promote the benefits of family dining. The study, which was conducted last
Spring by Roper Public Affairs & Media (a part of NOP World), surveyed 1500
Adults about their personal dining habits and the perceived benefits and
barriers to doing so more frequently.
Among all respondents, the following perceived major benefits to sharing
family meals include:

* Bringing people closer together (89%)
* Teaching children table manners and social skills (86%)
* Keeping family members up to date about what is going on in their lives
(84%)
* Helping solve problems for family members (71%)
* Encouraging more healthy eating habits (66%)

Lack of Focus at Mealtime Could Lead to Socially Destructive Behaviors
Families who focus at mealtime say their kids are less likely to
participate in destructive behaviors such as drinking alcohol and feeling
disconnected from their families. To that end, families who find it difficult
to focus on each other when sharing meals versus those that don't find it
difficult to focus fear their kids are more likely to be at risk for drinking
alcohol (30% vs. 20%) and feeling disconnected from their families (35% vs.
21%).
Additionally, the study showed that families who focus during meals also
make other types of family activities a priority. Families who focus on each
other versus those that do not are more likely to say their family is doing a
very good job of the following: sitting and talking (59% versus 33%), watching
TV together (47% versus 34%), reading together (31% versus 16%) and playing
sports or exercising (30% versus 18%).

Benefits of Being Focused at Mealtime
Families that say they are able to focus on each other during meals are
also more likely to say their families are: more satisfied with their level of
closeness than those who don't focus (76% say they are very satisfied vs.
54%); they know about what's happening in their family members lives (57% vs.
38%); they have the ability to balance work and family time (47% vs. 30%) and
they find the time to spend with those that are important to them (45% vs.
28%). However, six in every ten Americans feel most families find it
difficult to not get distracted by everything going on around them during
meals.
Having a positive experience from dining together stems from the
commitment to sit down and eat as a family, the study shows. Eighty percent
of Americans feel it is difficult for most families to find the time to eat
together on a regular basis.
One third of those surveyed say that they personally could spend less time
watching television to help the family eat together more often. Other
solutions to finding ways to eat focused meals together include making a
specific time to sit down and eat together, eating meals that are already
prepared or having the family involved in meal preparation and spending at
least 30 minutes on the meal experience.
"Our findings assert what we've known intuitively for some time: there are
innumerable benefits to families who make dining together a top priority,"
explains Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land & Nick at Nite. "Since launching
TV Land and Nick at Nite's Family Table last year, we've found that our
audiences can definitely relate to the modern challenges of sitting and
sharing with one another over a meal. On TV, the universal setting of the
family dinner table is where issues are raised, discussed and often resolved.
This study proves that this plot device doesn't just work on television, it
works in real life too."
In the random digit dial telephone survey, respondents were asked their
opinions and feelings on a variety of topics related to family dining. The 25
minute interviews covered such areas as: the definition of a family; ways
families stay connected; perceived benefits of family dining; family table
conversation topics; frequency of family dining; barriers to togetherness;
level of engagement and focus on one another during dining; satisfaction with
their own family dining experiences and perceived risks to families who don't
dine together often; and possible solutions to encourage/increase the
frequency of family dining.
For more information regarding the study's findings, please contact one of
the representatives listed below.