92% Oppose Ban on School Lunches From Home

A public school in Chicago now prohibits students from bringing lunch from home in an effort to promote healthier eating, but Americans strongly reject that idea. Not only does an overwhelming majority believe children should be allowed to bring lunch to school, but most also think lunches from home are healthier than ones bought in a school cafeteria. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that an overwhelming 92% of American Adults believe students should be allowed to bring lunch from home. Only three percent disagree, with six percent (6%) undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Support is slightly stronger among those with children in the home compared to those without children living with them.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of all adults think lunch brought from home is healthier for students to eat than a school cafeteria lunch. Nineteen percent (19%) say a cafeteria lunch is healthier, but another 22% are not sure.

Among adults with children living with them, 71% say lunch from home is healthier. Only 48% of adults without children in their home agree. Adults under the age of 50 are more likely than their elders to believe bringing lunch from home is the healthier alternative for students.

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 12-13, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.