MORE than a quarter of young people in Shenzhen say they never have breakfast, according to a survey of 124 residents aged between 20 and 45.

About 73 percent of the residents surveyed said they skipped breakfast because they had no time, while about 25 percent said breakfast was unnecessary, according to the survey jointly conducted by the Shenzhen Evening News and a local market research company.

Only 8 percent of the interviewees set enough time for breakfast, and the other 92 percent either have to finish breakfast within 10 minutes or skip the meal, the survey shows.

Lack of time is the main reason cited by the respondents for skipping the meal.

For those who choose to eat breakfast, nearly 60 percent eat the meal on the road, on the bus or in their office.

An engineer surnamed Liu who works for an IT company in Nanshan District said he knew breakfast was essential for the day and shouldn't be finished while walking to his office. "But I would rather save the time to sleep after being weighed down by overtime working," he said.

Zhu Cuifeng, a nutritionist with Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital, said the data was worrying. "Young people should not sacrifice their health for future careers," she said. Zhu advised that people leave at least 15 minutes for breakfast every day.

The survey also found that, rather than dining out, many white-collar workers prepared lunch boxes to save time and expense. They describe dining out during the one-hour lunchtime as a "rushed experience" and would rather avoid it.

Editor: Wing