What question did this study set out to answer?

The survey aimed to gather information on European consumers' attitudes and expectations about dietary fibre intake.

March 26, 2026Open Access

Consumers vary in their attitudes and expectations about dietary fibre; analysis of answers to a pan-European online survey

VBVéronique Braesco ALAnne Lionnet MMMatthieu Maillot

Key Points

The survey aimed to gather information on European consumers' attitudes and expectations about dietary fibre intake.
Conducted an online survey with a representative sample from 7 European countries.
Participants answered questions about knowledge, perceived intake, and reactions to incentives for increasing dietary fibre.
Used hierarchical clustering analysis to categorize consumers based on response profiles and sociodemographic characteristics.
Consumers generally understood dietary fibre but had gaps in detailed knowledge.
Half of the respondents believed they consumed enough dietary fibre.
Preferred incentives for increasing intake included better labelling of fibre-rich products and the inclusion of fibre in more foods.
Identified five consumer clusters: committed, sceptical, informed, helpless, and resistant consumers.
Sociodemographic differences influenced the response profiles of different consumer groups.

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: Dietary fibre (DF) has known health benefits, but consumer intake remains below recommended levels. This survey aimed at gathering and structuring information about DF-related attitudes of European consumers, including motivations and barriers, as well as preferred incentives for increasing DF intake. Participants: Representative sample of 7,247 subjects from 7 countries Setting: Online survey. Design: Participants completed a questionnaire focused on knowledge about DF, perceived intake, and reactions to incentives. Hierarchical clustering analysis was used to define ‘clusters’ based on response profiles and ‘groups’ based on sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Consumers had a relatively good overall understanding of DF. However, responses to more detailed questions revealed knowledge gaps. Half of respondents said they consumed enough DF. Among proposed incentives for increasing intake, respondents preferred the labelling of fibre-rich products, then the inclusion of fibre in a wide variety of foods. Five answer clusters were identified: ‘committed consumers’ (sufficient DF intake, convinced of benefits), ‘sceptical’ (little DF-related knowledge, unconvinced), ‘informed consumers’ (good DF knowledge, insufficient intake), ‘helpless consumers’ (low intake, unclear about how to increase), and ‘resistant consumers’ (little concern and knowledge, rejection of all incentives). Sociodemographic groups displayed slight differences in response profiles ( e.g. , relative to the whole sample: white-collar workers tended to be ‘committed’ rather than ‘resistant’ consumers, and seniors tended to be ‘informed’ or ‘helpless’ rather than ‘sceptical’). Conclusions: This study helped define subpopulations of European consumers based on DF-related attitudes and behaviours. Sociodemographics somewhat explained these differences and should be considered when developing strategies for increasing DF consumption.

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