Almost HALF of Brits prefer to watch sport at Christmas than see family
Almost half of the UK would prefer to watch sport over the Christmas period than see family members, a survey has revealed.
A survey of more than 1,000 Brits conducted by Betfred found that 48% of respondents preferred getting stuck into sports rather than spending time with their nearest and dearest.
- 48% of Brits would rather watch sports than see family members at Christmas
- 55% of men prefer watching sports, as opposed to just 40% of women
- More than half of those aged between 34 - 54 preferred watching sports than spending time with family
- Sheffield and Brighton are the most sports-crazed cities in the UK - with an average of 33% willing to see family members at Christmas
In the Premier League, there will be a live televised game on every day from December 21 through to January 2 (excluding Christmas Day and December 29) and the PDC World Darts Championship begins on December 15.
The survey, which began on October 30, revealed that men were more excited than women to watch sports at Christmas as opposed to spending time with family. A whopping 55% of male participants voted for sports viewing, as opposed to just 40% of women.
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| I prefer watching sport at Christmas | 55% | 40% |
| I prefer seeing family at Christmas | 45% | 60% |
When examining the survey by age range, we can see that those aged between 18-24 and those aged 55 and over are the most family-orientated in Britain, and that watching sport at Christmas mattered less to them.
An eye-watering 55% of participants aged between 35-44 admitted they would rather watch sports at Christmas than spend time with family, while 52% aged between 45-54 also chose sport over family.
| 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I prefer watching sport | 38% | 47% | 55% | 52% | 41% |
| I prefer seeing family | 63% | 53% | 45% | 48% | 59% |
More than two thirds of residents in Sheffield opted to watch sport instead of seeing family members at Christmas, whilst those in Brighton are also clearly sports fanatics as 67% of those from the seaside town also would choose sport over family at Christmas.
At the other end of the spectrum, residents of Leeds are the most family-orientated as just 30% would trade spending time with family in order to watch sport instead at Christmas time.
| City | Prefer watching sport | Prefer seeing family |
|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 41% | 59% |
| Birmingham | 51% | 49% |
| Brighton | 66% | 33% |
| Bristol | 60% | 40% |
| Cardiff | 43% | 57% |
| Edinburgh | 40% | 60% |
| Glasgow | 52% | 48% |
| Leeds | 30% | 70% |
| Liverpool | 43% | 57% |
| London | 45% | 55% |
| Manchester | 59% | 41% |
| Newcastle | 48% | 52% |
| Norwich | 55% | 45% |
| Nottingham | 50% | 50% |
| Plymouth | 45% | 55% |
| Sheffield | 68% | 32% |
| Southampton | 45% | 55% |
*Survey conducted between October 30 - November 2 2023 of 1,005 UK residents
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