CHARLOTTE, NC — Homeowners are using their kitchens somewhat differently than they did in even the recent past – likely a reflection of ever-changing lifestyles, family compositions and the impact of a challenging economy.

That’s the key conclusion of a newly released survey conducted by the Research Institute for Cooking & Kitchen Intelligence (RICKI), a Charlotte, NC-based organization of manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and others whose revenues derive from activities that take place in the kitchen.

The goal of RICKI’s “Remodelers 360” survey, conducted earlier this year among some 2,900 consumers, was to determine how Americans are currently using their kitchens, their design preferences, their remodeling experiences, and related matters. The study, conducted online in partnership with Seattle-based GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.), was first conducted in 2006 and is repeated every two years.

Selected excerpts of the comprehensive survey, available in its entirety from RICKI, were made available exclusively to Kitchen & Bath Design News.

According to RICKI, the survey found that the most common activities taking place in the kitchen (see related graph at right) are eating (65%) and planning meals (62%), followed by taking medication or vitamins (49%), talking in-person with family or friends (46%), talking on the phone (43%), caring for pets (38%) and sorting mail (38%).

Of the 17 kitchen activities measured, five are significantly less likely to be happening in the kitchen compared to 2006 and 2008. They are: taking medication or vitamins (down from 67% in 2006 and 65% in 2008 to 62% in 2010); talking on the phone (49% and 41% to 43%); reading newspapers or magazines (27% and 25% to 22%); entertaining (25% and 26% to 21%), and caring for plants (25% and 22% to 17%). In sharp contrast, the use of computers in the kitchen has almost doubled (6% in 2006 to 11% currently).

RICKI also concluded that gender, age and household income play a major role in how people use their kitchens. For example, women are much more likely than their male counterparts to participate in virtually all of the 17 activities measured – except for watching television, RICKI said. The younger the survey respondent, the more likely they are to eat and plan meals in the kitchen, as well as entertain family and friends, use a computer and do homework.