The YouGov survey found that 39% of restaurant goers would feel uncomfortable complaining with 10% of those saying they would feel "very uncomfortable" doing so.
The majority of those polled (53%) said they did not mind sending their food back to the kitchen.
On those occasions where people are confronted with a problem with their meal, 38% said they send back their meal every time or most of the time, 21% return it some of the time and 34% said they only rarely or even never complain.
Brits are most likely to send food back if they had received the wrong meal (92%) or their food was undercooked (90%).
At the other end of the scale, people are least likely to kick up a fuss if their portion size was too small (10%), their food was poorly presented (also 10%) or they didn’t like the food (16%).
The biggest differences found between those who are comfortable/uncomfortable sending food back are over overcooked food and food being too hot or cold. Two thirds (66%) of people who say they are comfortable with it, would dispute overcooked food, compared to just 34% of those who find complaining discomforting.
Ben Glanville, head of data services UK, YouGov: “Many of us can relate to a time where we have complained to our dining companions about the standard of food, only to reassure the waiting staff that everything was fine.
“While the majority of Brits would be happy to raise an issue, there remains a sizable minority that are uncomfortable with causing a scene.”