Nearly Half of America’s Late-night Snackers Do it in Bed, According to Survey

2024 Late-Night Snacking survey, by Kellanova (formerly Kellogg Company), has shown that bedtime isn’t just for sleep in America. In a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults conducted to better understand Americans’ late-night snacking preferences, nearly 44% of the people who snack late at night do so while in bed – with 58% of adults ages 18-24 noting this is their location of choice for late-night snacks. The survey also found that late night nibblers favor cookies, ice creams and chips.

“As a leader in global snacking, with iconic brands like Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts and Rice Krispies Treats, we’re constantly looking for new ways to better understand our consumers,” said Amjad Malik, Kellanova’s Vice President of Insights & Analytics. “We already know people are snacking throughout the day, and we were interested in learning more about late-night snacking habits. While we aren’t at all surprised that 30% of people snack late at night, we were surprised to learn where they are doing it – in the bedroom!”

The survey also found that among those snacking in bed:

• 66% are snacking alone;
• 20% of people are eating salty snacks; and,
• 31% said they were satisfied after finishing their snack

The survey also found that men are more vulnerable to late-night munchies than women, and that they more often crave spicy, sour, and bitter snacks over sweet choices. Of the women who snack late at night, 74% of them reported that they do so because they are bored and said that they more often crave sweet, salty, and gooey foods.

Other interesting findings include:

• Baby Boomers (those older than 60 years) are the only age group that reported they prefer the living room over the bedroom for their late-night snacking;
• People aged 35-39 were the only group to list “spicy” as part of their top 3 cravings late at night; and,
• Half of the late-night snackers (50% of survey respondents) said that they are eating while watching television, with nearly a quarter saying their entertainment of choice is a “sitcom or comedy.”

Survey interviews were conducted online, and the data was weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on gender, age, income, race and region.