“The Big Ask”: The UK Has Spoken!

SurveyMonkey unveils what makes Brits British

In a time when more seems to be dividing the UK than bringing it together, SurveyMonkey has today announced the much needed results of its recent nationwide poll on what unites everyone and makes them truly British!

Over 12,000 Brits took part in The Big Ask survey, answering the top crowdsourced questions from their fellow countrymen and women.

The campaign, designed to inform about topics nearest and dearest to those in the UK, indicate that some British traditions are adapting with the times, while others hold strong. The questions, all submitted from the general public, covered a raft of popular culture issues – tea drinking continues to be a matter of grave importance, whilst the UK’s current political climate has pushed matters of national pride to the top of the agenda.

Highlights from the results of #TheBigAsk are as follows:

• Sixty-six percent of Brits say their lives are better than their parents’ generation.
• Topping the list of favourite UK holiday destinations is Cornwall (23 percent), closely followed by The Scottish Highlands (18 percent) and The Lake District (17 percent)
• Scotland was the clear winner when it came to those who most enjoy a tipple, with 42 percent. Second place was the North East at 20 percent.
  • In fact, 60 percent of Scottish respondents believe that they drink the most.
• Brits believe that Londoners are overall the proudest to fly the Union Jack with 21 percent of the vote.
• When it comes to accents the Queen’s English is regarded as being the UK’s sexiest accent, winning with 22 percent.
• Thankfully, correct tea-making procedure reigns supreme, with half of respondents choosing to brew their tea prior to adding the milk.
• Our favourite takeaway in the UK is now a tight race between traditional Fish & Chips (26 percent), Curry (26 percent) and Chinese (24 percent).
  • However, the youngsters 29 and under still prefer pizza!
• The majority of Brits are hoping for a Clinton victory in the US presidential elections with only 23 per cent backing Trump.

When it comes to the more topical issues, immigration is a contentious issue in any nation, no less the UK in the current climate. Opinions are split nearly evenly regarding whether immigration makes the UK stronger or weaker, although results are slightly biased towards weaker (42 percent). In line with recent EU referendum sentiment, Londoners who responded to our survey are more pro-immigration than other Brits: a majority (53 percent) say it makes the UK stronger.

About the research
This online survey was conducted June 4-20, 2016 among 12,014 UK residents using the SurveyMonkey platform. Responses came from men and women throughout all regions of the United Kingdom.