Infographic: The who, what, where, when, and why of supplement consumers

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) Consume Survey on Dietary Supplements collects a lot of data about, from their product preference, reasons for supplementing, and where they purchase the products.

The most recent data is consistent with previous surveys, and indicates that the multivitamin is still top of the pops, with 52% of US adults reporting having taken it in the past 12 months, followed by vitamin D (20%), omega-3/fish oil (19%), calcium (18%), and vitamin C (17%).

The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of CRN. It was conducted on-line and included a national sample of 2,013 adults aged 18 and older from Ipsos’ US on-line panel.

The data also indicated that 85% of consumers are confident in supplements (35% very confident, 50% somewhat confident), a result that may be a testament to, “consumers’ understanding that the overwhelming majority of companies in this industry are dedicated to looking out for their customers, and manufacturing and marketing safe dietary supplement products that provide health benefits,” ​said Judy Blatman, senior vice president, communications, CRN.

“Our data has shown enormous consistency for the past 14 years, and there is no question that the majority of American adults value dietary supplements for their health,”​ she added.

Data​

Among the highlights of the survey are:
54% of respondents state that their reason for taking the dietary supplements is for overall health and wellness benefits, selected by 54% of supplement users overall. This was followed by ‘filling gaps in nutrition’ (36%), and heart health (32%);
73% of supplement users reported starting their supplement use in adulthood;
And 63% of users select their supplements based on price, while 48% also use the supplement facts box.

CRN prepared the following infographic to illustrate their survey’s findings.