QSR magazine has released its annual study of consumer preferences and attitudes about the quick-service restaurant industry. The survey seeks to answer such important questions as how often consumers eat fast food; what factor is most important in choosing a restaurant; what are favorite fast-food menu items; whether fast food has gotten healthier; and much more.

In addition, the survey asked respondents what their favorite and least favorite fast-food brand is—with the interesting result that the same restaurant was named most often in each list.

“The yearly consumer survey is a great way for restaurant owners and operators to really understand what is motivating their customers’ preferences,” says Blair Chancey, associate editor of QSR magazine. “It’s also a great thing for consumers, because it gives them a voice in the industry.”

For the first time, full results of the survey are available on QSR magazine’s web site at www.QSRmagazine.com/americathinks08. This special presentation of the data is sortable by various demographics, including age, gender, and geography.

“Not only can visitors see the information we thought was most important,” Chancey says, “but they can also look closely at what’s going on in their region and with their target audience.”

Six hundred seventy-three respondents entered the survey, which was conducted by Litchfield Research. The distribution was 68 percent female and 32 percent male. Respondents were distributed throughout the U.S., with the exception of Montana and New Mexico. Eighty-two percent of the respondents identified themselves as Caucasian. Those under the age of 18 exited the survey. The remaining questions were asked to 689 respondents. The average age of respondents was 47 years old.