Weber GrillWatch survey reveals 90% of American grill owners fire up the grill on the Fourth of July

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 6/27/2012 1:34:01 PM

PALATINE, Ill. — According to the 23rd annual Weber GrillWatch Survey, a whopping 90% of American grill owners fire up their backyard grill on the Fourth of July, a 9% jump from last year.
Weber commissioned Toluna to field the 23rd annual Weber GrillWatch Survey. A total of 1,000 grill owners throughout the United States completed the online survey. All respondents were 21 years of age or older and currently own a charcoal, gas or electric outdoor grill or smoker. The sample was divided between 50% males and 50% females and was balanced demographically to represent households across the U.S.
Other notable trends in the survey include:

• Independence Day remains the most popular "grilling holiday" of the year, followed by Labor Day (77%); birthdays (76%); Memorial Day (71%) and Father's Day (53%).
• The three foods grilled most often are hamburgers (73%), chicken (41%) and steak (40%).
• Hot dogs and burgers remain the top two foods considered easiest to grill (78% and 72%, respectively), followed by steak (49%), brats (43%) and chicken (38%).
• Three in 10 grill owners feel that grilling is an extremely important activity when entertaining guests in their home (30%); while 77% say grilling is an important activity when entertaining.
• During grill parties, more than one-half of grill owners (59%) say their guests tend to congregate outside. Of those, 26% enjoy "hanging out" exclusively by the grill.
• On average, grill owners host approximately 2.8 barbecues during the summer. Nearly 19% say they hosted at least five barbecues during the summer months.