A History of the Ministry of Information, 1939-46
SECTION I
BREAKFAST CEREALS
The serving of breakfast cereals was investigated from four viewpoints.
(1) The extent to which breakfast cereals are served, and their varieties.
(2) Whether the serving of breakfast cereals has increased or decreased during the last few years, and the reasons for the change.
(3) Whether a decrease in the supply of breakfast cereals would cause the housewife hardship, and which kind of cereal could most easily be given up.
(4) Three subsidiary questions on:
The kind of sweetening or flavouring used with breakfast cereals. Reasons for using prepared oats.
Which type of cornflakes etc., was thought to be the most important.
Wherever the expression “Cornflake Group” is used it refers to all proprietary product breakfast cereals except oats products. Where the term “Breakfast Cereals” is used it refers to all kinds including oatmeal.
Summary of results
The great majority of housewives (82%) serve breakfast cereals.
“Prepared oats” and the Cornflake group are each served by more than half of the women in the sample. Porridge made from oatmeal is less popular, only 17% serving it. This figure conceals a wide regional variation, 40% serving it in Scotland compared with less than 20% in any other area. The main reason given for preferring prepared oats for making porridge is that they give so much less trouble, and take less time to prepare.
Two-thirds of the housewives who serve cereals at breakfast do so regularly several times a week. The majority of those who also provide them for other meals only do so occasionally.
More than half sample serve breakfast cereals to the same extent as they used to. Of the remainder slightly over half serve them more frequently now, the rest less frequently. The main reason given for serving cereals more frequently is that they have to replace foods which are now unobtainable, or of which the ration is very small, especially bacon and eggs. Insufficient milk or sugar and shortage of points are the reasons mentioned by two-thirds of those who serve cereals less often, while the remaining third state that they cannot buy the particular brand of cereal which they like.
Porridge is considered a more important food than the cornflake group, especially in Scotland.
More than half of those using cereals think it would cause them hardship if supplies had to be cut down; this is especially so of housewives who use prepared oats.
There are group differences between regions and between families with and without children, but in no case are these very great.
More cereals are served in the South, London and Scotland than in the North, Midlands and the East. Consumption is higher among large families.
More porridge made from oatmeal is served in Scotland than anywhere else, though even here more prepared oats are used than oatmeal. The cornflakes group are more frequently served in the South than elsewhere.
The frequency with which the cornflake group and prepared oats are served is in direct proportion to the number of children in family.
There is a higher proportion serving cereals for meals other than breakfast among families with children; there is also, as might be expected, a more marked tendency in those families to serve sugar or other sweetening with cereals.
There is a much higher proportion adding salt to their porridge in Scotland than in any other region.
There is a higher proportion preferring porridge to the cornflake group among housewives without children than among those with children.
The proportions of housewives who say they would experience hardship if the supply of any of the cereal groups was cut down are similar to the proportions using these cereals.
1.1 The extent to which cereals are served
The overwhelming majority of housewives in the sample use cereals.
The different kinds of breakfast cereals are used at the following meal times:-
Table 2
1.2 Serving of cereals at breakfast
Two-thirds of the people who serve a cereal for breakfast do so several times a week.
Table 3
The frequency with which cereals are served at breakfast
The cornflake group and prepared oats are used to very much the same extent. At the time of the inquiry (October), slightly more people used cornflakes several times a week than prepared oats. However, a slightly higher proportion said that they use prepared oats regularly during the cold winter months. There are very few housewives who serve oatmeal porridge for breakfast.
In the same family more than one kind of cereal may be in use. Statements of the following type were repeatedly made to interviewers:-
“The baby gets porridge made from oatmeal, but for John (aged six) I keep cornflakes, and he has them for breakfast if he feels like it. I never have cereals”.
The next table shows the extent to which the numbers of those using two or more kinds of breakfast cereal overlap, and which kinds are used by the same housewives.
Table 4
Housewives using two or more kinds of breakfast cereals
| % | |
| Cornflakes, etc. | 6 |
| Prepared Oats | |
| Oatmeal Porridge | |
| Cornflakes, etc. | 35 |
| Prepared Oats | |
| Cornflakes, etc. | 6 |
| Oatmeal Porridge | |
| Prepared Oats | 3 |
| Oatmeal Porridge | |
| No. using cereals | 3621 |
1.3 Cereals are not served so regularly at other mealtimes as they are for breakfast.
Table 5
The frequency with which cereals are served at meals other than breakfast
| Cornflake Groups | Prepared Oats | Oatmeal | |
| % | % | % | |
| Regularly | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Occasionally | 14 | 11 | 4 |
| SAMPLE | 4398 | 4398 | 4398 |
It will be seen that, as was the case for breakfast, oatmeal is the least frequently used cereal.
2. Increase and Decrease in serving breakfast cereals
2.1 About a quarter of the housewives who include cereals in their menus serve them more frequently now than they used to. On the other hand, 21% serve them less often now than formerly.
Table 6
Those serving cereals more or less often than formerly
| Cornflake Group | Prepared Oats | Oatmeal | |
| % | % | % | |
| More often | 14 | 12 | 4 |
| Less often | 11 | 8 | 2 |
| Same and N.A. | 31 | 34 | 11 |
| Never uses particular kind | 26 | 28 | 65 |
| Never uses any cereal | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| SAMPLE | 4398 | 4398 | 4398 |
A few of the reasons which people give for using more cereals are quoted below:-
“I find prepared oats a useful supper food, instead of other unobtainable dishes.”
“My little boy of 11 has to cook his own breakfast as I am at work. I get him cornflakes, and this makes it easy for him to have his breakfast.”
“Now only use cornflakes, because children needed much more sugar with porridge.”
“Have baby now, who likes oats.”
2.2 The numerical distribution of these reasons shows that the main motive for using all three kinds of cereals more often now is to replace other, unobtainable foods.
Table 7
What are the reasons for serving more often?
The main foods which cereals have to replace are eggs and bacon.
Table 8
Foods replaced by cereals
| Foods replaced: | Cornflake Group | Prepared Oats | Oatmeal |
| % | % | % | |
| Eggs & bacon | 60 | 62 | 54 |
| Meat, sausage, ham | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Butter, fat, milk pudding | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Fried foods, chips | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Other cereals | 2 | 5 | 14 + |
| Fruit | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Others | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Has not replaced any foods | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Not answered | 18 | 16 | 17 |
| Total serving more often | 613 | 544 | 162 |
Reasons why cereals are served less often
6
The four main reasons for serving cereals less often are mentioned with approximately equal frequency; not available in shop, insufficient points (for cornflakes - the other two kinds of cereals were not on points at the time of the investigation), not enough milk, and not enough sugar. The proportion saying “insufficient milk” is interesting in view of the fact that winter restriction had not come into force at the time of the investigation.
Table 9
Reason for serving less often
3. Reaction to possibility of further restriction in supplies
Before attempting to get a direct answer to this question housewives were asked which kind of cereal they considered most important - porridge, or the cornflake group. The following table shows the results.
Table 10
3.1 Which cereal is most important?
| % | |
| Cornflake Group | 28 |
| Porridge (Prepared Oats and Oatmeal) | 46 |
| Never uses cereals | 18 |
| Could not answer the question | 8 |
| 100 | |
| SAMPLE | 4398 |
Or, expressed differently, 52% of those who use cornflakes, etc. think this the most important cereal group, but 65% of the housewives who serve porridge either in the form of oatmeal or prepared oats consider it the most important. These figures indicate that there is probably a greater number of people serving porridge who consider it an essential food than is the case with those serving cornflakes, etc.
3.2 When asked “If supplies had to be cut down, would it cause you hardship?”, more than half of the housewives who use these cereals replied in the affirmative.
Table 11
| Would cause hardship | Sample (Users) | |
| % | ||
| Cornflake Group | 59 | 2478 |
| Prepared Oats | 68 | 2390 |
| Oatmeal | 57 | 769 |
Similar numbers of those using cornflakes and oatmeal say they would miss these foods, but a larger proportion of those serving prepared oats say that its loss would cause them hardship.
The next table shows the same results, but the basis of calculation is the total sample, and not the number of users; it gives the percentage of people in the whole sample who would experience hardship if supplies were cut down.
Table 12
If less supplies were available, would it cause you hardship?
4. Subsidiary information
Table 13
4.1 What do you take with your breakfast cereals; salt or some sweetening ingredient ?
| % | |
| Salt | 16 |
| Sugar | 58 |
| Syrup or Treacle + | 30 |
| SAMPLE | 3621 |
4.2 If prepared oats are used for porridge, what are the reasons for using these instead of oatmeal?
The principal reason given for preferring prepared oats to oatmeal was that they save time and fuel. Somewhat surprisingly the 2nd most important reason was the feeling that porridge made from prepared oats was more satisfying. The numerical distribution of the reasons given is as follows:-
Table 14
It will be noted that the number of housewives who do not use oatmeal because they cannot get it in the shops is very small.
4.3 Of the cereal group consisting of cornflakes, etc., which do you consider the most important kind ?
The flake group, including cornflakes, wheatflakes, Force, etc. is by far the most popular.
GROUP DIFFERENCES
Regional differences
There are some regional differences, but they are so small that they should be treated with reserve.
1.1 Housewives serving cereals
Regional distribution
Table 16
| North | East | Midland | London | South | Scotland | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Yes | 81 | 77 | 80 | 84 | 87 | 90 |
| * (±3.2) | (±6.2) | (±3.8) | (±4.1) | (±4.1) | (±4.3) | |
| No | 19 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 10 |
| SAMPLE | 1368 | 410 | 975 | 601 | 615 | 429 |
It would seem that relatively fewer housewives in the North, East and Midlands serve cereals than do in London, the South and Scotland.
A comparison of the extent to which the three kinds of cereals are served in the different regions shows that the highest proportion using oatmeal is in Scotland, but even here more prepared oats are served than oatmeal. Porridge made from oatmeal, is served in Scotland as often as Cornflakes, etc. where in all other Regions the latter is served at least by four times as many housewives than the former. The highest percentage serving porridge made from prepared oats is to be found in Scotland and in London. The number of housewives who serve cornflakes, etc. in the East (which is the region with the smallest percentage using cereals in general) is the same as in the North and the Midlands, but porridge is served by a smaller number of housewives in the East than in any other region. The highest number of housewives serving cornflakes, etc. is to be found in the South.
Table 17
1.2 How often are cereals served at breakfast?
1.3 The numbers of people who use cereals at meal times other than breakfast are too small to show significant differences between regions.
2.1 Regional differences in the increase and decrease in the numbers of those serving cereals
In general, no significant differences were apparent. On the whole, the number of housewives in the different regions who serve cereals more often now than formerly is greater than the number who serve them less. In the East, the position is reversed for all three kinds of cereals, and the same is true for prepared oats in the London area.
Table 18
2.2 The absolute figures for the reasons given why the serving of cereals has increased or decreased are again too small to allow of a regional breakdown.
Number of housewives in the different regions who anticipate hardship if supplies were cut down.
Our first analysis was of replies to the question “Which kind of cereal is most important to you?”. It was found that in all regions housewives considered prepared oats most important, particularly so in Scotland.
Table 19
3.1 Which cereal is most important to you?
The number of those anticipating hardship if supplies of a particular cereal were cut down varies from region to region, in accordance with the frequency with which the cereal in question was used.
Table 20
3.2 Would withdrawal of supplies cause you hardship ?
Subsidiary questions
4.1 Of the subsidiary questions, only one “What do you take with your porridge or cereal” yielded significant differences between regions.
Many more people in Scotland use salt with their cereals than in any other region, but many fewer use sugar and treacle.
Class differences
1.1 If the sample he divided into two social classes - Group I, composed of people who have more than £5 a week, and Class II, with an income of less than £5 - it is found that slightly more housewives of the better-off group serve cereals than do those of the poorer group. The difference, though statistically significant, is very slight, and because of this, breakdowns for further questions which involved the use of small absolute figures did not give any significant differences.
Differences in families with and without children
Differences in the extent to which cereals are served
1.1 More families with children, large families and younger housewives serve cereals than families without children, small families and housewives over 50. However, these differences, though significant, are not very great.
Table 23
Analysis by number of children
| Breakfast cereals served | Families with children up to & incl. 3 years | Families with children 3-14 years | Families with no children |
| % | % | % | |
| Yes | 89 | 90 | 76 |
| No | 11 | 10 | 24 |
| SAMPLE | 793 | 1307 | 2298 |
1.2 Differences in the extent to which cereals are served for breakfast
Families with children, serve more breakfast cereals and prepared oats than do families without children. This group difference does not exist in the case of oatmeal porridge, nor among housewives who serve cereals occasionally or at other seasons.
Table 24
Analysis by number and age of children
1.3 Differences in the frequency with which cereals are served at mealtimes other than breakfast
Only one significant group difference could be found, which was that there was a higher proportion serving the cornflake group among families with children.
Table 25
Analysis of Cornflake Group by families with and without children
| With children under 3 yrs. | With children 3-14 yrs. | Without children | |
| % | % | % | |
| Regularly | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Occasionally | 20 | 22 | 8 |
| SAMPLE | 793 | 1307 | 2298 |
Differences in the number of those serving cereals more and less often now than formerly
Housewives with children, serve more cereals now than they used to, to a greater extent than those without children. The difference is not very striking and it should not be forgotten that it must be very difficult for the housewife to take into account an increase in family when comparing the amount she buys now with what she used to buy.
2.1 Do you serve cereals more often, less often or the same as you used to?
Table 26
Analysis by families with and without children
Differences in opinion as to hardship caused by a possible out in supplies
3.1 The only significant group difference is that housewives with children are more inclined to stress the importance of cornflakes.
Table 27
Analysis by families with and without children
The following tables show clearly that a cut in the supplies of cornflakes, etc. and prepared oats would in their opinion cause much more hardship to families with children, than to families without children. This group difference does not exist in the case of oatmeal.
3.2 If less cereals were available, would this cause you hardship ?
Table 28
Analysis by families with and without children
Differences in subsidiary information
4.1 The only difference in the groups dealt with here is that more families with children use sugar, and syrup or treacle with their breakfast cereals.