CRNs 2009 Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements

WASHINGTONAccording to a new consumer survey conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), 65 percent of adult consumers (up slightly from 64 percent in 2008) take dietary supplements. When asked if the economy had affected their households dietary supplement purchasing habits, nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of those surveyed responded it had not. CRN also reported 84 percent of American adults indicating they are confident in the safety, quality and effectiveness of dietary supplements compared to 81 percent last year. In the last several years, confidence levels in dietary supplements have been on a gradual rise, with 80 percent of American adults indicating a favorable level of confidence in dietary supplements in 2007, and 79 percent of American adults responding similarly in 2006. 

According to results from the 2009 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, the economy prompted 27 percent of dietary supplement consumers to alter their supplement purchasing habits.  Among that group, purchasing habits changed in the following ways:

Supplement consumers indicated the three factors most important to them when purchasing supplements are: the price, the supplements facts box (i.e., dosage, daily value, etc.) and the label claims (maintain heart health, maintain joint health, etc.). The online survey also showed a slightly higher percentage of adults who label themselves as supplement users, with 65 percent classifying themselves as such.  In 2008, 64 percent of American adults identified themselves as supplement users.  These numbers are also consistent with previous years findings, as 68 percent and 66 percent of Americans identified themselves as supplement users in 2007 and 2006, respectively. 

We believe that responsible companies within the industry can take some of the credit for the continued rise in consumer confidence in dietary supplements. They have embraced new regulatory requirements such as adverse event reporting (AER) and new GMPs (good manufacturing practices) specific to dietary supplements, said Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN. We also hope the self-regulatory programs the industry is taking part in, such as CRNs initiative with the National Advertising Division, have helped boost confidence. Despite a few industry outliers who create much of the negative publicity about the industry, consumers trust these products as safe and beneficial.

Also up slightly this year is the percentage of consumers who regularly take a multivitamin; with 78 percent reporting they do so compared to 75 percent of supplement users who reported taking a multivitamin regularly in 2008.

The 2009 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements was conducted Aug. 26 through Sept. 1, 2009, by Ipsos Public Affairs and funded by CRN. The survey was conducted online and included a national sample of 2,043 adults aged 18 and older from Ipsos U.S. on-line panel.The survey has been conducted annually since 2000. Weighting was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the U.S. adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points.