45% agree that Brits talk about the weather too much

Just 1 in 5 think they personally talk about the weather too much.

The author(s)
  • Keiran Pedley Public Affairs
  • Gideon Skinner Public Affairs
  • Cameron Garrett Public Affairs
  • Ben Roff Public Affairs
  • Laura King Public Affairs
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New polling by Ipsos, taken August 16-20, has examined attitudes towards one of Britain’s favourite pastimes – talking about the weather.  

While just one in five (22%) say that they personally talk about the weather too much, 45% agree that people in Britain generally talk about the weather too much. 6 in 10 (61%) say that they follow stories about the weather closely. This rises to 64% of those aged 55-75. 

Ipsos chart: Whilst just one in five (22%) think that they personally talk about the weather too much, 45% think people in Britain generally talk about the weather too much


It appears that weather does have an impact on the national mood, with almost half (49%) saying that the weather improved their mood on the day that they completed the survey. However, almost three in five (58%) think that people in Britain do not cope well when temperatures exceed the typical temperature for the season. 

Elsewhere in the poll, people were asked about how high the temperature would have to reach to consider doing a range of activities: 

  • A quarter (26%) say they would never consider sunbathing, no matter the temperature  
  • The same proportion (25%) would never consider swimming outside 
  • Over a third (36%) would never consider camping, but one in ten (10%) say they would go camping no matter the weather  
  • 20.1 to 25.0 degrees Celsius is the preferred temperature for wearing shorts/a short skirt (33%), applying sunscreen (27%), eating outside at a restaurant (39%), sunbathing (32%), and having a picnic in the park (39%)
Ipsos Chart: At what temperature would Brits start to do a range of activities? Activities: wearing shorts or a short skirt, applying sun screen, sunbathing, sleeping with the window open, swimming outside, eating outside at a restaurant, picnic in the park, camping


Commenting on the findings, XX said: 

It seems us Brits are obsessed with the weather, with new research revealing that 45% of us saying that we talk about it too much. It's no surprise then that almost half of those surveyed said the weather had an impact on their mood, with good weather improving it.  However, this shouldn't be mistaken for Brits being unable to cope with more extreme temperatures, as the research also shows that over half of us don't think that we cope well when the temperature goes above average for the time of year.

Technical note

•    Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,100 adults aged 16-75 across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between 16-20 August 2024.  Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.

The author(s)
  • Keiran Pedley Public Affairs
  • Gideon Skinner Public Affairs
  • Cameron Garrett Public Affairs
  • Ben Roff Public Affairs
  • Laura King Public Affairs

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