Is cooking outside the ultimate summer joy?

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The most quintessential sensations of summer are the smell of a grill, relaxing at the beach and diving into the pool, according to a new survey.

The nationally representative survey of 2,000 American grill owners found that grilling scents (87%), time near the water (68%) and pool hangs (68%) top the list of iconic summer feelings.

So it’s not surprising that the majority of Americans (80%) agreed cooking outside is one of the joys of the season.

This year, respondents said they’ve been looking forward to the best things of summertime for four months on average.

And some of the activities they’ve been anticipating the most are soaking in as much time outside as possible (66%) and hosting backyard parties and cookouts (46%), with Gen Z being particularly stoked about backyard cookouts compared to other generations (59%).

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Tyson Foods (https://www.tysonfoods.com), the poll found that summer is the favorite time of year for more than a third of Americans (36%), including more than half (52%) of Gen Z.

And seeing how grillers are hoping to get the most out of the summer months, more than half (53%) are working on leveling up as grill masters this year.

Hoping to not heat up the house during the hottest months of the year (52%) and enjoying time spent outdoors (52%), almost two out of three respondents (61%) plan to grill meals at least once a week during the summer.

And most (69%) also said they’re motivated to cook outside simply because they enjoy all the smells wafting off the grill.

Seeing what Americans have cooking up this summer, classics like hamburgers (82%) and hotdogs (73%) are popular, along with fancy fare like steaks (74%) and seafood (36%).

A third (33%) even said they like to toss literally anything that’s “grillable” on the grill.

Grillers reported they’ve already spent three hours in the last month consuming grilling content in hopes of improving their skills, and seeing where they’re focusing their attention, grill masters are looking to perfect their ribs (28%), grilled chicken (27%) and brisket (25%) recipes this summer.

Two thirds (67%) of Americans are planning to be more budget conscious this summer. With finances top of mind, most of those looking to cut back spending (74%) are planning to cook more meals at home this summer, rather than dining out, in order to save a bit of money.

One-in-five (22%) are looking to spend less on food this summer. And looking at how they’ll pull this off, many are shopping in bulk (42%), meal prepping (39%) and trying new recipes (39%), while the majority (77%) are keeping a watchful eye on food prices.

The Fourth of July could be dubbed the biggest grilling event of the year and more than half (56%) of Americans plan on grilling this Fourth of July.

Independence Day menus will feature the classics this summer and hamburgers (68%), hot dogs (60%) and grilled chicken (45%) will be the most popular main dishes per the survey.

Alongside those, potato salad (56%), chips (51%) and baked beans (50%) are the favorite sides.

Many even said they’d be let down if their Fourth of July gathering was missing classics like hotdogs, hamburgers and chicken (49%).

And activities-wise, they’d be bummed if their Fourth of July party was missing fireworks (42%), great music (34%) or outdoor games (21%).

TOP FOURTH OF JULY MAIN DISHES

Hamburgers (68%)
Hot dogs (60%)
Grilled chicken (45%)
Ribs (35%)
Sausages (30%)
Kebabs (18%)
Pulled pork (16%)
Pork chops (15%)

TOP FOURTH OF JULY SIDES

Potato salad (56%)
Chips (51%)
Baked beans (50%)
Deviled eggs (37%)
Coleslaw (33%)
Mac and cheese (33%)
Fruit salad (31%)
Broccoli salad (14%)

MOST ICONIC SUMMER SENSATIONS

The smell of a grill (87%)
Spending time at the beach or lake (68%)
Swimming in a pool (68%)
Driving with the windows open or the top down on a car (58%)
Going to fairs or festivals (52%)
Staying up late at night (49%)
The smell of sunscreen (45%)
Chasing fireflies (24%)

Survey methodology

Talker Research surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 Americans who own a grill; the survey was commissioned by Tyson Foods and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between June 4 and June 9, 2025.

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