Demographic characteristics for respondents to survey 1 and survey 2
| Survey 1 | Survey 2 | |
| N=278 | N=405 | |
| n (%) | n (%) | |
| Age | ||
| <18 | 0 (0) | 1 (0.2) |
| 18–29 | 38 (13.7) | 39 (9.6) |
| 30–39 | 47 (16.9) | 54 (13.3) |
| 40–49 | 73 (26.3) | 81 (20.0) |
| 50–59 | 69 (24.8) | 79 (19.5) |
| 60–69 | 40 (14.4) | 88 (21.2) |
| ≥70 | 8 (2.9) | 59 (14.6) |
| Prefer not to say | 3 (1.1) | 6 (1.5) |
| Gender | ||
| Female | 210 (75.5) | 284 (70.1) |
| Male | 61 (21.9) | 115 (28.4) |
| Non-binary | NA | 2 (0.5) |
| Other | 5 (1.8) | 1 (0.2) |
| I prefer not to say | 2 (0.7) | 3 (0.7) |
| Place of residence | ||
| England | 245 (88.1) | 361 (89.1) |
| Scotland | 14 (5) | 15 (3.7) |
| Wales | 8 (2.9) | 6 (1.5) |
| Northern Ireland | 4 (1.4) | 4 (1.0) |
| Not in UK | 4 (1.4) | 13 (3.2) |
| I prefer not to say | 3 (1.1) | 6 (1.5) |
| Ethnicity | ||
| White/white British | 236 (84.9) | 187 (85.4) |
| Mixed/multiple ethnic group | 11 (4) | 5 (2.3) |
| Asian/Asian British | 15 (5.4) | 11 (5) |
| Black/black British | 4 (1.4) | 5 (2.3) |
| Other | 3 (1.1) | 5 (2.3) |
| I prefer not to say | 9 (3.2) | 6 (2.8) |
| Education | ||
| School (pre-GCSE) | 4 (1.4) | 3 (1.4) |
| School (up to GCSE or equivalent) | 12 (4.3) | 14 (6.4) |
| School (A levels or equivalent) | 9 (3.2) | 11 (5.0) |
| Higher education (eg, college) | 23 (8.3) | 24 (11.0) |
| Degree level or higher | 223 (80.2) | 161 (73.5) |
| Other | 3 (1.1) | 2 (0.91) |
| I prefer not to say | 4 (1.4) | 4 (1.8) |
| Total for education question | 278 | 219* |
| Lived experience of overweight | ||
| Yes | 103 (37.1) | 248 (61.2) |
| No | 164 (59.0) | 140 (34.6) |
| Other | 11 (4.0) | 11 (2.7) |
| I prefer not to say | NA | 6 (1.5) |
| Stakeholder category† | ||
| Healthcare professional | 22 (8.6) | 36 (8.9) |
| Public health professional | 17 (6.7) | 26 (6.4) |
| Researcher (general) | 32 (12.5) | 33 (8.1) |
| Researcher (weight/obesity research) | 49 (19.14) | 41 (10.1) |
| Work in the charity sector | 14 (5.5) | 18 (4.4) |
| Work with a group representing people with obesity | 5 (2.0) | 5 (1.2) |
| Policy-maker or commissioner of healthcare services | 1 (0.4) | 6 (1.5) |
| Professional working outside of healthcare | Not asked | 12 (3.0) |
| General interest (survey 1). | 103 (40.2) | 176 (43.5) |
| Responding in a personal capacity (survey 2) | ||
| Other or I prefer not to say | 13 (5.1) | 52 (12.8) |
*This question was not included for the first 186 respondents in survey 2.
†Stakeholder category: in survey 1 participants were able to describe themselves as belonging to more than one category. Categories selected presented. Lived experience was included in this section.
GCSE, General Certificate Secondary Education.