Survey reveals which items/activities Brits couldn’t go longer than a day without

A new survey* of 2000 respondents reveals which items or activities they couldn’t go longer than a day without.

Wi-Fi tops the list as over 60 percent of Brits revealed they couldn’t go longer than a day without it. This follows a record year for internet distribution in 2020 as 96 percent of UK households now have access.

In particular, almost three-quarters of Welsh residents (71%) admitted they couldn’t last longer than a day, followed by their Northern Irish counterparts with 66 percent agreeing they couldn’t do without their internet connection for more than 24 hours.

With the government’s plans to roll out a £5 billion strategy to maximise coverage in the hardest to reach areas of the UK by 2025, this should ensure most residents aren’t without a strong internet connection for much longer.

Tea and coffee are second on the list, with 53 percent of respondents in agreement. A nice cup of tea has a long history of solving the nation’s woes and last year was no exception as sales of coffee and tea soared following the UK’s lockdown and the nation’s drinking habits have become home-based.

Northern Irish respondents (66%) were least likely to go more than a day without either hot beverage, whereas London residents disagree. Almost 60% reveal they could go longer than a day, more than any other region in the UK.

It seems as though the UK could be a nation of mobile phone fanatics, with over 50 percent of respondents admitting would be lost without their device for a whole day.

Ages 35-44 are most dependent on their phone with almost 60 percent of respondents admitting they couldn’t go longer than a day without it.

A mobile phone (56%) is the number one item for 18-24 year olds. The gadget ranked higher than Wi-Fi (55%), showering/bathing (38%) and snacks (26%)

Showering/Bathing (46%) and TV (38%) completed the top five items/activities that Brits can’t go longer than a day without.

At the other end of the scale, surprisingly ‘gambling’ is the number one activity people can go longer than a day without, with only two percent admitting they couldn’t.

This is despite recent reports showing searches for online gambling reached an all-time high last year. It would seem that many people want to know how to win at slots, but that does not mean they could not go longer than a day without it.

While retail shopping also ranks quite low with only 3 percent revealing they couldn’t go longer than a day without it, majority of the nation feel they couldn’t last longer than a month without a bit of retail therapy (31%).

However, Northern Irish people could be the nation’s shopaholics with over a third of residents admitting they couldn’t go longer than a week.

Likely as a result of the national lockdown restricting the number of people you can see, the UK rated seeing friends and family very low down the list. That said, if the population were to see anyone it’s family, with three times as many picking family over friends.

That said, the longest period most respondents said they could go without seeing friends (30%) or family (28%) is a month. With the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown in full swing, it shouldn’t be too much longer until things return back to normal.

James Brown, Director at Protect your bubble commented:

“It’s really interesting to see what items or activities the UK public can or cannot go without for longer than a day. The pandemic has shifted peoples perceptions of what they now view as a priority in their everyday lives.

“With mobile phones ranking so highly, it’s important the public ensure their device is well-covered with the likes of insurance or mechanical breakdown cover should it ever get lost or damaged to minimise any disruption it may cause.”

To view the full survey results, click here