6 in 10 Brits say the temperature has been hotter than they expected, with 8 in 10 saying it’s too hot

• Proportion finding it “too hot today” more than doubles compared to just 5 days ago 
• 6 in 10 think British people can’t cope very well when temperatures exceed their typical average 
• Two-thirds believe Brits talk about the weather too much

As the UK reaches its highest temperature on record, new research from Ipsos shows Britons are not used to the heat. Despite plenty of forewarning, 6 in 10 (62%) say that the weather is hotter than they expected, including almost 4 in 10 (37%) who say much hotter. Around a quarter (27%) say it is about the temperature they were expecting while only 1 in 10 (10%) say it’s colder than they were expecting. 

No matter expectations, many seem to be struggling with the heat, with just over 8 in 10 (83%) saying the weather today (survey done over 18th and 19th July) has been too hot, including 6 in 10 (58%) who say much too hot. When asked the same question just 5 days ago (14th/15th July) only 34% said it had been too hot, half said about right and 16% said too cold. Women and older people in particular are finding the heat challenging: 90% of women said the weather today was too hot, compared with 76% of men, while 92% of 45-75 year olds also find it too hot, compared with 74% of 18-44 year olds. Considering the past week, 81% say the past week has been too hot, up from 63% who said the same between 14th-15th July.

Despite finding the weather too hot, most Britons remain upbeat with 77% saying they are feeling very/fairly happy today. However, few put this down to the weather, only 32% say the weather has improved their mood while 33% say it has made their mood a little/much worse. Thirty-four per cent say it has had no impact on their mood. 

British people and the weather

With schools closing, roads melting and airports closing, it may come as no surprise that few think British people can cope well with the weather when temperatures exceed the typical temperature for the season. Less than 4 in 10 (37%) say we can cope very/fairly well while 62% disagree. Again, there is a big difference by gender and age, with 74% of women and 72% of 45-75 year olds saying Britons do not cope with high temperatures very well, compared with half of men (49%) and 18-44 year olds (51%). 

While the weather is a more exciting topic at the moment, with 78% closely following stories about it in the news, Britons are well known for their fondness of bringing it up in conversation. As a result, two-thirds (66%) now say British people talk about the weather too much (23% much too much) while only 4% say they discuss it too little, and 28% about the right amount. 

Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos in the UK, said:

The impact of the record extreme temperatures over the last couple of days is clear to see across workplaces, transport infrastructure and public services, and Britons are feeling the heat too with the vast majority finding it too hot, more than double the figures from last week – particularly women and older people.  And although many are closely following the news, there is still some sense of being caught by surprise with most saying the reality was hotter than they expected.  Although Britons are self-aware enough to know that we might talk about the climate too much, if these events become more regular then this won’t be the last time the weather is in the news.

Technical note:

• Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,000 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain. Interviews took place on the online Omnibus on 18th-19th July 2022. Data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.