Chinese, Turkish, Indian, Italian or good old fish and chips – a weekend takeaway and the Eurovision Song Contest often go hand in hand as fellow mainstays of British culture.
But anyone planning a take-out and a Saturday night in to watch the grand-final on May 12th be warned – when it comes to sharing, the UK is still making its mind up.
Only half (54%) of those living in the UK are happy to share their takeaway, while the rest prefer to eat the meal they ordered or have never shared a take out with others, according to new research* from Lottoland.
Our taste in convenience food may be as culturally diverse as the Eurovision line-up, but compared with our mezze, tapas and antipasti-loving continental counterparts it’s a case of Better The Devil You Know when it comes to Brits sharing with others.
Nigel Birrell, CEO, at Lottoland, said:
“The Saturday night takeaway and Eurovision Song Contest are a match made in heaven for many nowadays who look to the annual grand final as a chance to relax and enjoy some fun at home with friends and family.
“And like any long-standing tradition, the way each generation chooses to celebrate both the Eurovision final and the Great British takeaway continues to evolve – albeit slowly in this case, it would seem!”
Women are marginally more likely to dole out a bit on the side, with 57% willing to give food to others over 51% of men, while Londoners are the most likely overall to share their food (60%) than those living anywhere else in the UK.
Residents in the West Midlands are least keen to share, with almost a third (32%) unwilling to part with their portion, closely followed by those in the East Midlands, Scotland and Wales (all 31%).
Those aged 18-24 were the most generous, with 61% happy to share their take-out with others. The rest of the population remains divided, with just over half of those aged 25-34 (53%), 35-44 (55%), 45-54 (54%), over 55 (52%) willing to share, and the rest preferring not to or never sharing takeaways with others.
Of the reasons given for not wanting to share, the most common included a lack of portion control, hygiene concerns, food allergies and simply anxieties that others would be ‘too greedy’.
Changes in technology have meanwhile reportedly led to a 73% surge in the money Brits are spending on home takeaways over the last decade, with the figure now standing at £4.2billion**.
Nigel added:
“Trends amongst the younger generation show our feelings towards sharing food and the Eurovision movement are both evolving – with Australia and other nations now taking part, the changes experienced by both go to show how old traditions come to be lived differently in the modern world.”
“The need to update age-old practices to suit the generation of today is also one of the reasons Lottoland has introduced its new EuroMillionaire GO game, which offers players the chance to win huge jackpots based on the underlying Euromillions draw every hour, or – if they don’t match any numbers – their money back.”
