IS YOUR HEALTH AND SPORTS FAVORITE DETERMINED BY YOUR LOCATION?

It is common knowledge that the British are enthusiastic about cuisine, sports, and lifestyle. Depending on the region of the nation in which one resides, these three are frequently intermingled into what some refer to as culture.

 

But does where you reside in the nation influence the sports you enjoy watching, the frequency with which you engage in physical activity, and your healthy habits?

 

We recently questioned 2,000 individuals from twelve various locations of the United Kingdom regarding their sport fandom, health, and lifestyle, as well as its intersection.

It might be easy for a sports enthusiast to forget that not everyone is as immersed in the athletic world as they are. Nevertheless, as indicated by the results of our poll, a vast majority continue to do so.

 

 

In fact, more than half of those polled in every single area identified as frequent sports television watchers.

 

London topped the list, with 73% of residents claiming to watch at least a half-hour of sport every week. Wales, Scotland, and the North East also achieved scores above 70%.

 

However, it did not need an excessive amount of commitment to say “yes” to this question, and the genuine diehards were exposed when we investigated who watched more than five hours of sports programs every week.

 

30% of respondents from Northern Ireland claimed they watch the equivalent of more than three football matches every week. Compared to Wales, the West Midlands, and London, where fans watch at least the same amount of sport every week, this is a substantial number of individuals.

 

Southeast England residents were ‘least’ interested in broadcast sports for any reason. ‘Only’ 58% of those in the East Midlands and East Anglia claimed it was a regular pleasure.

55% of all respondents stated that they often watch football, which is more than 5 times the second most popular sport (tennis) at 11%. Rugby was the only other sport that more than 5 percent of respondents enjoyed watching, although 9 percent of respondents loved watching ‘other sports’.

 

 

Interestingly. As evidenced by the current anxiety about cricket’s plunging TV ratings, just 4% of respondents indicated they love watching the sport.

 

The breakdown of who watches the “big three” (football, tennis, and rugby) becomes intriguing from there.

 

London has the greatest football audience (43% of respondents), which is probably not a coincidence. Even Bournemouth AFC’s recent promotion to the Premier League has not increased the popularity of football on television in the southwest, where just 26% of respondents say football is their favorite sport to watch on television.

 

Across all areas, 5-9% of respondents indicated that tennis was their favorite sport to watch, the lowest disparity among the three sports. Nearly one-tenth of all respondents in London and the South-Western United States indicated that this was the sport they watched the most.

 

If not for Wales’ involvement in the poll, the rugby statistics would indicate a similar story. 15% of those Welsh males and females cited it as their primary television sport. This is more than three times the percentage of Scots (7%) who picked the sport as their favorite, and at least three times the percentage of all other categories.

 

East Anglians, Northern Irish, and West Midlanders were the least enthusiastic about watching rugby at home or at a bar.

Beer was the most preferred beverage to consume while watching sports, with 27% of respondents claiming it was their beverage of choice.

 

 

London, Yorkshire, and the Northeast are particularly fond of drinking beer while watching sports, as 32% to 34% of respondents to our poll indicated.

 

15% of sport fans also preferred drinking wine, while cider was the third most popular beverage at 14%.

 

Surprisingly, 33% of respondents chose to remain sober and watch sports without consuming alcohol.

Alongside these beverages came a variety of popular snacks. Over a quarter of respondents indicated that crisps were their preferred snack, followed by chocolate and finally almonds.

 

Men were 20% more likely to consume crisps and 70% more likely to consume nuts when watching sporting events.

 

Those over 65 are making significant efforts to maintain their health, so they should be able to enjoy sports for many more years. They were 60% more likely to consume fruits and vegetables as a snack than their younger counterparts.

Londoners were the takeout monarchs of the United Kingdom, with 59% of respondents taking at least one meal to go each week. Considering the abundance of eating alternatives in London, this is perhaps not unexpected.

15-18% of respondents in the West Midlands, Northeast, and Yorkshire said they ate takeout many times each week.

 

In contrast, residents in the Southeast, East Anglia, and Southwest areas of England are the most likely to dine in or at home, with 61-63% of residents in each region stating they never order takeout in a given week.

Nearly all (94%) Londoners in our poll exercise for more than three hours per week, a number only surpassed by New Yorkers (95%).

 

 

This appears to be the greatest amount of exercise that Yorkshire residents are prepared to perform in a given week. 25% of this population engage in more than six hours of exercise each week, the lowest rate of any demographic, tied with the East Midlands.

They have much to learn from the Welsh, the true gym rats of the British Isles. Over a quarter (26%) of our Welsh friends dedicate this amount of time to consuming bara brith and rarebit.

 

 

Not to be outdone, 17% of Scots report exercising for more than 9 hours each week.

 

The regions with the biggest exercise aversion were in the Midwest, where one-fourth of respondents indicated they never exercise.

And as much as the Welsh enjoy exercising, they also enjoy protecting their lungs. Only 16% of individuals polled are frequent smokers. Despite the fact that 25% of all age groups reported never smoking, 25% of all age groups did smoke.

 

 

Only 16% and 17% of residents in the Southwest and East Midlands respectively smoked.

 

Northern Ireland, the North East, and London are the regions with the highest proportion of habitual cigarette smokers, with 28-30% claiming to do so.

Wellness is a mix of behaviors, and Wales and the southwestern United States had the highest proportion (96-98%) of non-smokers who exercised more than three hours per week.

 

 

The Northern Irish, on the other hand, will respond with “not well” to the question “Bout ye boy”

 

With the lowest proportion of fit non-smokers and the largest proportion of non-exercisers who dine out many times per week, it is not surprising that sixty percent of Northern Irish people are fat.