With the country in the midst of an historic economic slowdown, over half of Americans (57%) say they are going out to eat less often now than they were six months ago, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Thirty-four percent (34%) say they are going out to eat about the same number of times, and seven percent (7%) say they are going out more often. Two percent (2%) aren’t sure.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of women say they are eating out less often, as are 52% of men.

Americans ages 30-64 are less likely to go out to eat now than those younger and older than them. Not surprisingly, the more a person earns annually, the less likely he or she is to be cutting back on meals outside the home.

Forty-four percent (44%) of Americans say they rarely or never go out to a restaurant for dinner, including 48% of women and 40% of men. Fifty percent (50%) say the same about lunch, with 53% of women and 47% of men saying they rarely or never go to a restaurant or fast food restaurant.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of African-Americans and 40% of whites say they rarely or never go out to dinner. Around half of both groups say the same about lunch.

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Twenty-one percent (21%) go out to dinner two or more times a week, while 19% have lunch in a restaurant or a fast food restaurant two or more times per week. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of men and 16% of women go out to dinner this often, and nearly as many of both groups have lunch out at this rate.

Seven percent (7%) of blacks go out to dinner two or more times per week, compared to 24% of whites. As for lunch, whites go out two or more times a week by a 19% to 10% margin over blacks.

Forty-three percent (43%) of those earning over $100,000 per year eat dinner out two or more times a week, compared to nine percent (9%) of those who earn less than $20,000 annually.

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, hit a record low on Monday but rebounded slightly on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a separate survey earlier this month, 66% of adults said they expect to spend less on gifts this holiday season than they did last year.

Two-thirds of Americans (67%) enjoy a good home-cooked meal more than dining at a fine restaurant. Twenty-six percent (26%) prefer a meal at a fine restaurant. Six percent (6%) are undecided.

The older the American, the more he or she tends to like a home-cooked meal. The more individuals earn, the more they generally prefer a meal at a fine restaurant.

A plurality (46%) consider 15% a standard tip for a waiter for standard service. Twenty-one percent (21%) say the standard level for a tip is 20%, with two percent (2%) saying more than 20%. For 22% of Americans, 10% is a standard tip, and eight percent (8%) give less than that.

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