The humble roast dinner is the most iconic thing about Britain, new research reveals.
A study of 2,000 people named the Britishness Audit found that when it comes to this country, nothing is more British than a good piece of roast beef, a few roast potatoes and a Yorkshire pudding.
The ever-present Sunday meal pipped fish and chips and the BBC in second and third respectively to be named the most British thing imaginable.
The Union Jack, Wimbledon and a cup of tea also featured high in the top 20 biggest British icons.
The 2016 Britishness Audit was commissioned by Tetley to mark the latest Tea Folk adventure. The new TV ad sees national treasures Gaffer, Sydney and Tina stroll back in time to celebrate the best things about Britain.
The audit includes analysis of the British Social Attitudes survey by NatCen Social Research and a poll of 2,000 people identifying typical British traits and our most popular national icons by OnePoll.
The most common national behaviours that emerge from the audit include wearing summer clothes at the first sign of sun and making a cup of tea in response to a crisis.
The famous British stiff upper lip is also highlighted in the top 10, as well as declaring ‘its fine’ when faced with poor customer service and queuing for absolutely anything.
And, when asked what the country’s national emblem should be, most Brits say a cup of tea (32 per cent), closely followed by Big Ben (31 per cent), with the Queen’s face coming third.
The NatCen report reveals that the majority of Brits (82 per cent) are proud of their nationality and 62 per cent of people who live in Britain say they’d rather be citizens of Britain than anywhere else.
The report also explores who in this country feels most proud, and reveals that the older people are, the more positive their feelings about Britain appear to be, with 66 per cent of those aged 75 and older saying they were ‘very proud’ of being British, compared with just 20 per cent of those age 18-29.
Ian Simpson, Senior Researcher at NatCen, said yesterday: “The notion that the people who inhabit this particular set of islands have strong emotional attachments to our nation is an enduring one. Our report delves a little deeper into these feelings of national pride, and who exactly is feeling them. Differences in age, gender and education have an impact on the depth of patriotic feeling – but the report reveals that feelings of national pride still run high, with eight in ten people saying they feel proud to be British.”
When it comes to recent events, the poll shows that British pride was at its peak during the 2012 Olympics, which was voted the most rewarding time to be British. This chimes with the NatCen report findings that national pride is linked to our sporting achievements, with 73% of Brits feeling proud when the country does well in international sports.
The Queen becoming our longest serving monarch and the 70-year commemoration of VE Day also make the top of the list of events that make us feel most proud of Britain.
Yesterday Cassie Shuttlewood, Senior Brand Manager at Tetley, said: “Our new ad is all about celebrating Britain’s greatest moments – the people and events that fill the nation with pride. And we wanted to explore this a little further with our audit, shining a light on how Brits feel about the country and the things people associate with Britishness.
An interesting finding is that patriotic feeling seems to increase with age – perhaps because the older you are, the more tea you tend to drink! We are heartened and proud to see that a cup of tea is high on the list of British icons.
“Tea is such an iconic part of Britishness, right up there with the Royal Family, James Bond and Big Ben. Nothing in the UK starts without a cuppa – and we’d like to invite the nation to raise a cup to celebrate the very best of British.”
40 most common traits
1. Wearing summer clothing at the first sight of sun
2. Apologising automatically
3. Ability to talk at length about the weather
4. Making a cup of tea in response to a crisis
5. Finding queue-jumping the ultimate crime
6. Forming a queue for pretty much anything
7. The typically British ‘stiff upper lip’
8. Grumbling throughout a meal, but not telling staff so as not to cause a fuss
9. Making sarcastic/dry jokes
10. Having a beer at the airport even though it’s before 8am
11. Giggling at innuendos
12. Making a cup of tea when you have no time to drink it
13. Getting sunburnt on the first warm day of the year
14. Finding the American forwardness ‘a bit much’
15. Avoiding eye contact on the tube
16. Binge drinking at the weekends
17. Insisting the other person goes through the door first
18. Searching for a fry-up when on holiday abroad
19. Mistaking brightness for warmth
20. Finding nothing better than a bacon sandwich
21. Not asking for help so as not to ‘put anyone out’
22. Insisting the barbecue will still go on despite rain
23. Bringing out fancy biscuits on a plate for visitors
24. Feeling extremely patriotic during sports events
25. Indulging in a pint and a packet of crisps
26. Reading newspapers in the morning
27. Feeling at home to the tune of EastEnders or Coronation Street
28. Wearing extra layers rather than putting the heating on
29. Feeling appreciative that the person in front put the ‘next customer’ barrier on the conveyor belt
30. Doing anything possible for a light tan
31. Owning a picnic hamper but only ever using it once a year
32. Starting a controversial statement with ‘I’m not being funny, but…’
33. Being vague about your plans rather than decline an invitation
34. Thanking someone when you’ve done them a favour
35. Not correcting someone when they pronounce your name wrong
36. Loving your cat/dog more than your child
37. Searching your pockets when asked for spare change
38. Feeling extreme excitement over a Sunday roast dinner
39. Having mixed feelings towards the ill colleague who is still coming to work
40. Being skilled in writing a letter of complaint
Top 20 British icons
1. Traditional Roast Dinner
2. Fish and chips
3. BBC
4. Union Jack
5. Wimbledon
6. A British cup of tea
7. The London Underground
8. The Royal Family
9. Only Fools and Horses
10. The Beatles
11. NHS
12. The City of London
13. Buckingham Palace
14. Red buses
15. Winston Churchill
16. Queen
17. Queuing
18. Cream tea
19. James Bond
20. Stonehenge
NatCen Findings:
A proud nation:
The vast majority of the public are proud to be British – 82 per cent in 2013 and 2003
Most people who live here feel connected to Britain – 72 per cent feel ‘very’ or ‘fairly close’ to Britain
A majority (62 per cent) of people who live here would rather be a citizen of Britain than of any other country in the world
National pride is linked with our sporting achievements: 73 per cent feel proud to be British when the country does well in international sports.
Who is most proud in Britain:
Feelings about Britain and being British vary between people of different ages and between men and women.
The older people are, the stronger their feelings about Britain appear to be. Older people are more likely than younger people to feel ‘very proud’ of being British and to feel ‘very close’ to Britain.
Women are a little more likely than men to be proud to be British.
More info on Tetley’s Britishness Audit can be found at www.tetley.co.uk/ join the conversation on Twitter @Tetley_Teafolk #ItStartsWithTea
