Coffee keeps Britain full of Beans!

Coffee apparently now plays a vital and central role in providing an opportunity for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Coffee has already outstripped tea as Britain's most popular hot beverage, with two-thirds of Britons enjoying coffee on a daily basis, and 57 per cent stating that they like to drink a minimum of two to three cups of coffee each day.

Mid-morning emerged as the most popular time of day for taking a break and enjoying a coffee, with one in three saying that this was the occasion when they most liked a cup.

Two in five say they drink coffee because they love the taste and aroma. Other popular reasons given included the fact that 'it helped to keep them going', it 'gave them a lift' or because it aids concentration.' Fifteen per cent even viewed coffee as the ideal accompaniment to stimulating conversation and socialising in general! Three in ten (more than twice as many women as men) think that a coffee morning is a good way to meet up with friends.

Regionally, the Welsh drink coffee more regularly than any other Britons, with three quarters (76%) stating that they drank coffee on most days, compared to the national average of 65 per cent. Coffee is more popular in the South of England than in the rest of England.

Technical details

These results are based on a nationally representative survey of 1,969 adults aged 15+ between 20-23rd September 1996. Interviews were conducted face-to-face within respondents' homes. The data has been edited and weighted.