Survey Says
URBAN LIFE WAVE 04 2009 HIGHLIGHTS
Here are the results from the fourth main Urban Life survey of 2009.
A big thank-you to all Urban Life members for your participation and enthusiasm in 2009. Your views and opinions were gratefully received and always welcome.
British Armed Forces in Afghanistan
Urban Life members' opinion is divided on how well-informed you feel as to why the British Armed Forces are occupying Afghanistan; an equal 50/50 split of informed versus uninformed. 38% of you think the British Armed Forces' efforts are having a positive effect on Afghanistan itself. However, a smaller 25% of you see a positive impact on the prevention of global terrorist activity.
Swine Flu
It may be a distant memory now, but swine flu hit the headlines in July this year. However, even at its pandemic peak, two-thirds of you say you were not concerned with the swine flu outbreak. Washing your hands more regularly and using a hand sanitizer were the most common preventative measures you took against swine flu. Almost 3 in 10 did nothing extra to protect against swine flu.
Is consumer optimism on the up?
Over half of you think house prices will rise in the next 12 months; 52% predicting prices to rise 'a little' and 2% rising 'a lot'. This is in contrast to 6-months ago when two-thirds of you predicted house prices to fall. This is reaffirmed by over half (56%) agreeing that activity in the housing market is improving. However, you're not optimistic in all areas. Two-thirds don't believe that unemployment levels will fall soon and half don't think that an economic recovery is around the corner.
English Premier League
You predict Manchester United to win the Premier League this season; the Red Devils getting the backing from 25% of you compared to Chelsea's 20%. We'll see come what May (2010)!
Seven days in the sun ... and more holidays!
Your favourite aspect of going on holiday is to completely detach from reality for a few days, with 40% of you agreeing with this. 5% love to get out and about and the adrenaline rush of an active holiday - skiving, diving etc.
The most popular type of holiday is a short-haul beach holiday with 1 in 3 of you taking one in the last 12 months. Half of you went on your last holiday with your partner, and 1 in 3 holidayed with family. The Internet is by far the most popular place to discover holiday ideas followed next by conversations with friends, family and work colleagues. Urban Life members prefer to make up their own holiday getaways with 2 in 3 making separate bookings for each holiday element (e.g. flights, accommodation, car hire etc).
Online is your preferred way to book a holiday, with 2 in 3 of you doing so for your last holiday. British Airways, Easyjet, Expedia, Lastminute.com and Ryanair are the top websites you've ever used to book a holiday.
The majority of you (64%) are unwilling to give up your holiday(s) in order to save money. However, 3 in 4 say you're willing to go on cheaper holidays to curb your spending. So it's a case of compromising where you go on holiday for most, not if you're going on holiday at all.
Home broadband
95% of you have broadband at home with most of you signed up to Virgin Media. Other popular broadband providers are BT and Sky. When choosing a broadband provider, only 6% say you look for a free gift - like a laptop - so most aren't swayed by tempting freebies. The most important deciding factors are a low monthly cost (74%), fast connection speed (67%) and unlimited download usage (63%).
Most of you cherish having access to the internet at home, with 4 in 5 saying you're not willing to cancel your broadband in order to save money. This will be music to the ears of Virgin Media, BT and Sky!
This wasn't on the brochure!
We asked about your own experiences of holiday hell in the latest Urban Rant.
Us Britons are renowned for having a good whinge. However, a lot of your holiday stories warrant a moan at the very least! Here's just a few ...
"Third year in a row holidaying in the UK and it rained every day. Will now give up and go abroad" Male 35-44, London
"My hotel burnt down while I was at the beach in Barbados. Not a good day" Male 35-44, London
"We both got food poisoning on our honeymoon. 20-30 toilet visits each per day took some of the passion away." Male 25-34, Glasgow
"COCKROACHES! I woke up one night in Gran Canaria to find a large cockroach on my thigh, travelling north! Didn't manage to sleep again until I got home! On the same holiday my friend had a cockroach drop onto her when she was sitting on the toilet! Our apartment was crawling with them, as were some of the local restaurants. Eurgh!" Female 35-44, Edinburgh
"During my holiday to Thailand I got pneumonia and was very ill but wanted to get home, I don't remember very much about getting home to Edinburgh. I collapsed at Edinburgh Airport and of course security thought I was on drugs or very drunk, it was a nightmare!" Female 35-44, Edinburgh
"I booked a holiday to a gay resort but got stuck in a regular hotel. Wouldn't have minded except the company went bust and I couldn't get my money back." Male 25-34, Newcastle
"The strip clubs in Slovakia were awful." Male 25-34, Glasgow
"I got a fungal infection on my back and chest from using wetsuits provided when scuba diving in Tenerife. I have my own now!" Male 25-34, London
"I got bitten by a razor fish in the sea on a Greek Island - ended up in hospital having my foot stitched up....holiday was over before it had even begun!" Female 18-24, London
"Last night on a trip sailing in the med, out at a club, friend wears new flip flops and steps on broken bottle - got him to local hospital via taxi (no ambulances!), waited until 4am, and then got him home. Next morning no one woke me for a shower so I was only smelly person on the plane home. Friend finds out he has no travel insurance - so never pays me back for taxis - 80 Euros! Then I met my boyfriends mum for the first time, still smelly - great." Female 18-24, London
"My daughter caught chickenpox whilst at the hotel. We were quarantined to our room and could not fly out and had to stay an extra week in our room so holiday was completely ruined." Male 25-34, London
"Robbed in Chiapas, Mexico. I was expected to pay a bribe to get a police report and get my passport back. I refused to pay and spent 4 hours in psychological games with the local police chief. I got away with it eventually. That's travel!" Male 35-44, London
"Went on an all inclusive package to the hotel from hell. Food was disgusting - whatever wasn't eaten was served up as lunch the following day. There was a sewage outlet on the beach which absolutely stank. When we got home we complained to the travel company who said they hadn't received any other complaints - the hotel was then featured on 'Holidays from Hell' and the people on the programme were guests at the hotel at the same time as us." Female 35-44, London
Trivia Time
Half of you correctly identified Istanbul as the non-capital city out of Prague, Stockholm and Lisbon. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey.
In a recent report on home broadband speeds published by Ofcom, 37% of you correctly said Tiscali was proved to have the lowest broadband speed in terms of megabits per second (Mbps).
Most of you are into fashion, or at least acknowledge the man's business empire, as 7 in 10 knew that H&M was the retailer not owned by Sir Philip Green. Miss Selfridges, Burton and Topshop/Topman are in the fashion tycoon's portfolio of high street retailers, amongst others!
Half of you correctly identified Istanbul as the non-capital city out of Prague, Stockholm and Lisbon. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey.
In a recent report on home broadband speeds published by Ofcom, 37% of you correctly said Tiscali was proved to have the lowest broadband speed in terms of megabits per second (Mbps).
Most of you are into fashion, or at least acknowledge the man's business empire, as 7 in 10 knew that H&M was the retailer not owned by Sir Philip Green. Miss Selfridges, Burton and Topshop/Topman are in the fashion tycoon's portfolio of high street retailers, amongst others!