Bah humbug Brits: Christmas revealed as a top winter gripe
With the UK preparing for what’s set to be the coldest winter in 50 years, festive cheer is already leaving Brits feeling blue, according to a new poll by Uswitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service.
Lifting the lid on the nation’s top winter woes, the survey reveals that 44% of the UK public admit that Christmas, with its marketing campaigns, festive songs and present buying, winds them up more than slipping on ice (38%) or how cold it is at home (33%).
The UK’s top five complaints about winter are getting the flu or a cold (71%), high energy bills (49%), how dark it is in the mornings (49%), bad weather (45%) and Christmas (44%). Additional moans include getting up early to de-ice the car (25%) and bad TV (9%).
When it comes to winter fashion, Brits are twice more likely to grumble about people wearing summer clothes in winter (13%) than they are seeing pets in jumpers (5%).
The top 20 things that wind Brits up during winter:
Colds and flu
High energy bills
How dark it is in the mornings
The weather
Christmas – marketing, festive songs and saving for presents
Slipping on ice
How cold it is at home
Getting up early to de-ice the car
Feeling miserable
Clocks going back
Everyone’s grumpy
People being dramatic about bad weather conditions
Drivers slithering around in the snow, blocking routes
People wearing summer clothes and then complaining that they’re cold
More parents clogging up roads by driving children to school
Commuting or train delays
Rubbish on the TV
Trying to use your phone while wearing gloves
Having to carry an umbrella everywhere
Cost of going out
As the temperature drops, many consumers are preparing themselves and their homes for the big freeze. Despite the fact that consumers could cut their energy bills by an average of £295 a year by switching supplier, just six per cent do so to prepare for winter. Instead, Brits are more likely to turn on the heating (51%), swap to a warmer duvet (38%) and replace summer clothes for jumpers (26%).
The top 10 things Brits do to prepare for winter:
Turn on the heating
Put a warmer duvet on the bed
Get jumpers out the cupboard
Cut the garden back
Put summer clothes away
Get the boiler serviced
Stock up on tins of soup
Buy a new coat
Get the car serviced
Buy new gloves and a hat
Tom Lyon, energy expert at Uswitch.com, says: “As a nation we love to moan, especially about our long list of winter woes. Almost half of consumers get annoyed by cold weather and high energy bills, yet just one in 20 switch energy provider to prepare for winter. Changing supplier only takes a matter of minutes and can save an average of £295 a year – putting cash back into your pocket to help pay for Christmas gifts or the odd winter-warming hot toddy.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Jason Wakeford
Phone: 0203 872 5612
Email: jason.wakeford@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Research was conducted by OnePoll between 21st and 23rd October 2015, amongst 2,000 UK adults.
About us
It’s all about “U”!
Thank you for indulging us over the last 20 years by using a small ‘u’ and a big ‘S’ when writing about our brand in your articles.
We are delighted to let you know that you are now off the hook - it’s big U’s all the way (and small s’s) as we undertake our biggest ever rebrand - so let your autocorrect go wild!
About Uswitch
Uswitch is the UK’s top comparison website for home services switching. Launched in September 2000, we help consumers save money on their gas, electricity, broadband, mobile, TV, and financial services products and get more of what matters to them. Last year we saved consumers over £373 million on their energy bills alone.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a new business that also owns Money.co.uk and Bankrate.
If you would no longer like to receive our press releases please email prteam@uswitch.com with 'unsubscribe'.