Friends, Romans, Britons – Rome is still among us!

An Ipsos survey on the TikTok trend that's become a surprising litmus test for couples' relationships - how often do you think about the Roman Empire?

22 September 2023

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Peter Cooper Omnibus

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It’s been hard to ignore the recent social media trend suggesting that men think about the Roman Empire more than women. We asked our panellists this week if they'd like to have a bit of fun with us and put this theory to the test.

Amusingly, whilst most men don’t seem to give much thought to the Roman Empire, four in ten (41%) say they think about it more than once a year. This compares to just 16% amongst women. One in eight men (12%) men claim to think about the Roman Empire at least once a week.

As well as men, the Roman Empire appears to be a hit with young people generally, with 17% of those aged 18-34 thinking about it at least once a week.

Ipsos Chart: 1 in 2 women (47%) claim that they never think about the Roman Empire. This is almost double the proportion of men (25%). Ipsos Chart: 1 in 8 men (12%) claim to think about the Roman Empire at least once a week. Amusingly, whilst most men don’t seem to give much thought to the Roman Empire, four in ten (41%) say they think about it more than once a year. This compares to just 16% amongst women.

Technical note

1,200 Online British adults aged 18-75, 20th - 21st September 2023, including 528 Men and 672 Women.