Eclipse Outshines Millennium!
Over 19 million adults see next week's total Eclipse of the sun as more exciting than the Millennium, a new survey reveals.
Over 19 million adults see next week's total Eclipse of the sun as more exciting than the Millennium, a new survey reveals.
A startling one fifth of Scots and one in ten of the Welsh have not heard of the Eclipse, as opposed to Devon and Cornwall where everyone has heard of it. However, even in the northern areas, such as Yorkshire and the Humber, the North East and the North West, nearly half are still excited by the Eclipse. Despite the overall excitement in the run up to the Eclipse, nearly 60% of the population are not planning to do anything dramatically special. For nearly three-quarters of Scottish people, it will be business as usual, as opposed to under half of those living in the South West. More Londoners are planning to do something special than those from any other region with double the national average saying they will travel to Cornwall (4%).
When asked what was exciting about the Eclipse, a bold 5% of the country admitted that their excitement was fuelled by getting 'romantic' in the daylight darkness! The same number greeted an extra long elevenses break with the same excitement.
The survey, commissioned from MORI by Ginsters demonstrates the nation's last minute attitude toward the Eclipse and provides an indication of what we are actually going to be doing on Wednesday 11th.August. As part of its plans to fine-tune the logistics of supplying pasties and savoury products nation-wide from its bakery in Cornwall, Ginsters has found the information vital for the planning of local congestion and its impact on distribution across the rest of the country.
Larry File, Ginsters marketing controller said:
"Every company has been planning for the Millennium, but for us, the Eclipse has been a full time job with an anticipated 25% rise in production, and a specific Task Force set up over a year ago. As a Cornish-based company supplying the whole UK with a fleet of 125 vans, delivering to over 9,000 outlets daily, six days a week, it is critical to gauge the significance of the Eclipse. We needed to establish the national picture and what our customers are thinking - whether they are in Edinburgh, Cardiff or Manchester. We have, for example, added three vans to our fleet in Cornwall as we already expect to deliver significantly more products locally with previous research indicating a local rise of 750,000 visitors."
Looking at the different attitudes between the sexes, women are more likely than men to find the Eclipse more exciting than the Millennium (49% to 43%), while men are more likely than women to find the new Star Wars film more exciting than either the Eclipse or the Millennium.
Regional Data
Scotland- One fifth (21%) of Scots have never heard of the Eclipse, compared to the national average of 8%
- For three-quarters of Scottish people it will be business as usual as opposed to under half of those in the South West
- No Scots are planning to travel to Cornwall
- 10% of Scots are planning to simply pop out from their normal work/daily routine to view the Eclipse, as opposed to a national average of 13%
- Scotland is least likely to get 'romantic' during the daytime darkness of the Eclipse with an admission from only 2%, compared to a national average of 5%
- 16% of the NE think that the new Star Wars film is more exciting than either the Eclipse or the Millennium, as opposed to a national average of 13%.
- It will be business as usual at the time of the eclipse for 68% of the NE, compared to a national average of 56%.
- 4% have not heard of the Eclipse, opposed to the national average of 8%
- 30% of the NW think that the Millennium is more exciting than the Eclipse, compared to a national average of 27%.
- It will be business as usual at the time of the eclipse for 65% of Yorkshire and Humberside compared to a national average of 56%.
- 8% of people in Yorkshire & Humberside have never heard of the Eclipse compared to the UK average of 5%
- The same as the national average, 8% have not heard of the Eclipse
- It will be business as usual at the time of the Eclipse for 62% of the East Midlands compared to a national average of 56%.
- 16% of the West Midlands thought that the new Star Wars film was more exciting than either the Eclipse or the Millennium, compared to a national average of 13%.
- It will be business as usual at the time of the Eclipse for 60% of the West Midlands compared to a national average of 56%.
- More than twice as excited about getting 'romantic' in daylight darkness as national average (11% versus 5%)
- Only 5% of people in Wales thought that the new Star Wars film was more exciting than either the Eclipse or the Millennium (national average is 13%)
- Only 3% have not heard of the Eclipse, compared to the national average of 8%
- 51% of people in the South West think that the total Eclipse of the sun is more exciting than the Millennium, compared to a national average of 46%
- 4% had not heard of the Eclipse, compared to the national average of 8%
- 46%, the same as the national average agreed that the Eclipse is more exciting than the Millennium
- 18%, as opposed to national average of 13% thought the new Star Wars film is more exciting than either the Eclipse or the Millennium
- More Londoners are planning to do something special than those from any other region, with only 35% not planning to do something
- 31% of Londoners who are planning to so something special, have not yet decided what that will be
- Londoners thought the least of the new Star Wars film, with only 7% saying it was more exciting than either the Eclipse or the Millennium (national average is 13%)
- 17%, as opposed to national average of 13% thought the new Star Wars film is more exciting than either the Eclipse or the Millennium
- 13% of people in the South East are planning to do something special for the Eclipse, compared to the national average of 17%, although they have not yet decided what that will be
- Everyone has heard of the Eclipse, compared to the national average of 8% who had not
- More excited about Eclipse compared to the national average
- 3% of people who live Cornwall are planning to drive to another part of the UK other than Cornwall
Ginsters, based in Callington is the only nationally available brand of Cornish pasties actually made in Cornwall and sells more than 100 million savoury snack products each year, of which over a third are pasties.
Technical details
The study was carried out at the end of July in 167 constituencies in England, Wales and Scotland, and from face-to-face interviews with 2,098 adults. Undertaken by MORI, the largest independent full service research agency in Great Britain, the report raises the previous predictions that 3 per cent or 1.26 million people (not 2%) are planning to take time off from their normal routine to travel to Cornwall.
