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Breakneck Britain: Brits are now “racing through life”


Brits are now living life faster than ever, leading to fears from a leading psychologist that people are “heading for meltdown” if they don’t think about changing their habits.



According to research released today by Virgin Media, 17% of us spend our entire monthly salary in the first week of the month, 1 in 5 (20%) people eat their evening meal in ten minutes or less and a just under third of us (30%) spend less than 20 minutes having sex.



The survey of just under 2,000 adults was conducted to mark Virgin Media’s free 4Mb to 10Mb broadband upgrade for customers. The research, looking into the speed at which Brits complete a range of everyday tasks including eating, spending and having sex, reveals we as a nation are doing things quicker than ever before and demanding instant gratification.



Those in the North East have topped the poll as the ‘fastest people in Britain’, with leisurely London coming bottom.



Amongst other speedy habits, Geordies top the poll of the nation’s fastest lovers with 16% spending 10 minutes or less having sex and one of the quickest spenders with 25% frittering their salary within a week of being paid (a shocking 8% spend it all on pay day!). Conversely, in stark contrast to the fast-paced stereotype given to the capital, Londoners take longer than anyone else to travel to work and are amongst the slowest lovers and taking longer to start a family.



Speedy Salary Spenders



Along with Geordies splashing their cash in record time, the research also reveals 46% of Brits run out of money before pay day with half of these running out after only two weeks. It’s the frugal Yorkshire folk who keep a tight hold of the purse strings with 50% of people claiming their salary lasts until the end of the month followed by the South West and Scotland.



Rapid Romeos



Sex is also something that Brits are rushing with almost one in three (30%) doing the deed in 20 minutes or less. Once again Geordies come on top with 3% admitting they spend less than two minutes having sex and one in six spend no longer than 10 minutes in the throes of passion. The East Midlands (14%) and North West (13%) follow as speedy lovers, whilst Brummies spend the most time in the sack with a loved one with 14% regularly making love for over 45 minutes.



Express Eaters



The British are known for their love of food but when it comes to eating, the research reveals we are desperate for fast food. In stark contrast to our European neighbours, 20% of people spend 10 minutes or less eating a typical evening meal and an alarming 48% spend up to 15 minutes. People in the East Midlands are the nation’s fastest eaters with 56% finishing their meal within 15 minutes, followed by 55% of Welsh and 53% of Scots. Once again it’s those in Yorkshire who are the slowest eaters with 9% spending over 30 minutes eating an evening meal.



Renowned psychologist Honey Langcaster-James says, “From rushing down our meals to squeezing love-making into the shortest possible time frame, we seem to now be racing through life at a crazy pace. The question we have to ask ourselves is ‘Where is this going to end?’ In a few years time are we going to see ourselves spending even less time with loved ones and bolting down meals in just a few seconds? There is a real danger that people are heading for meltdown unless we slow down and realise that there are only so many hours in the day in which to get everything done.”



James Kydd, managing director of brand and marketing at Virgin Media added, “Our research shows we are now doing things at an alarming rate and it’s clear Brits have an obsession with speed. With our free broadband upgrade programme from 4Mb to 10Mb, we are keeping up with the pace of the nation by providing customers with more than double the speed of their current package to ensure their internet connection is one thing that doesn’t slow them down.”



Breakdown



The nation’s fastest spenders:



Region
Percentage (who spend salary within a week of getting paid)

North East
25%

East Midlands
25%

Yorkshire
21%

North West
20%

West Midlands
20%

South East
19%

Wales
18%

East
16%

South West
16%

Scotland
13%

London
13%




The nation’s fastest lovers:



Region
Percentage (who spend 10 minutes or less having sex)

North East
16%

East Midlands
14%

Yorkshire
13%

North West
13%

South West
13%

Scotland
13%

Wales
12%

East
12%

South East
11%

West Midlands
9%

London
7%




The nation’s fastest eaters:



Region
Percentage (who spend 15 minutes or less eating an evening meal)

East Midlands
56%

Wales
55%

Scotland
53%

South East
49%

South West
49%

Yorkshire
49%

North East
48%

North West
46%

West Midlands
45%

East
44%

London
43%






Further breakdowns are available on:



- How fast Britons drive

- Speed of Commuting

- Speed at which Brits start a family

- Speed at which Brits get engaged



All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,968 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8th and 11th February 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).



Media contacts
Katie Raven, Frank PR, 020 7693 6999 or virginmedia@frankpr.it
David Fraser, Frank PR, 020 7693 6999 or virginmedia@frankpr.it



To find out more about Virgin Media’s products and service visit www.virginmedia.com or call 0800 052 2525.



Ends



Notes to editors
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