Podcasts. They’re What’s For Dinner. And Breakfast And Lunch, Too.

Food marketers have for decades produced TV dinners targeting consumers sitting down with television as their dining mate. But perhaps the time has come for a savvy marketer to package a podcast dinner. A new survey from YouGov that asks American about their meal habits reveals a growing number are breaking bread with their favorite podcast hosts.

The survey says the number is approaching nearly one-in-five U.S. adults listening to a podcast while consuming a meal. YouGov says 17% of adults say they typically listen to a podcast while having breakfast, 18% listen while having lunch, and 16% have dinner with podcasts. One factor that could be driving that is about a third of people say they look at their phone while having breakfast or lunch, a number that falls slightly to 28% at dinnertime.

Having meal with media isn’t a new trend, and YouGov says TV viewing remains the biggest companion across all three meals of the day — overtaking even talking with the people they’re eating with. The survey shows nearly two-thirds (63%) of U.S. adults say they typically watch TV at dinner, with nearly half also watching at breakfast (47%) and lunch (46%).

As with most media habits, YouGov says there are differences depending on age. It says adults under 30 are more likely than older Americans to listen to music or podcasts during dinner by a 24% to 14% difference.

The data shows that Black adults are more likely to listen to podcasts at mealtime — with the biggest advantage at breakfast and lunch. At breakfast, 28% of Black adults say they usually listen to a podcast, compared to 16% of Whites and 11% of Hispanics. At lunch, 23% of Black adults listen to podcast compared to 18% of White adults and 12% of Hispanics.

When it comes to gender, the data points to podcasts as a midday break for a lot of men. YouGov data shows that while men are slightly more likely than women to listen to a podcast at breakfast or dinner, at lunchtime the biggest gap appears, with 22% of men saying they typically listen to a podcast vs. 14% of women.

Beyond media habits, the YouGov survey, conducted in January 2025 among 1,106 U.S. adults, paints a picture of daily eating habits shaped by age, gender and household dynamics. It finds dinner is Americans’ favorite and most consistently eaten meal, with 56% saying they always eat it. Half of respondents say they prefer dinner, while breakfast is the least favorite for 35%. Most people prepare their meals themselves — especially women — and dinner is the most likely to be eaten with family (55%). Most meals are eaten quickly — under 20 minutes for breakfast and lunch, while dinner tends to last longer. Dinner is typically eaten before 7pm, though younger adults often eat later.