Survey Of Britain's 'Bridget Joneses' Reveals Shopping War Between The Sexes (Toplines)

25 October 2000 Thinking about your boyfriend's flat or house, please tell me which, if any, of the following apply

25 October 2000

could the Internet offer a solution?

25 October 2000

Q1 Which of the following best describes your current situation?

	%
I am married	0
I live with my partner	0
I have a boyfriend who lives at home with his parent(s) or other family members	0
I have a boyfriend who lives alone	71
I have a boyfriend who shares accommodation with flatmates / housemates	29
I do not currently have a partner	0
Other	0
None of these	0
Don't know	0

Q2 Thinking about your boyfriend's flat or house, please tell me which, if any, of the following apply

	%
It's usually clean and tidy	62
It's usually untidy	27
The bathroom is not clean	26
There are usually dirty dishes in the sink	39
There are not enough utensils in the kitchen	30
There is not enough crockery/glasses/mugs	27
There is not enough spare/clean/matching linen/sheets	36
There are not enough spare/clean/matching towels	36
There is lots of technical equipment	54
The decoration is stylish/fashionable	33
It lacks style	33
It is poorly decorated	29
The bed is old and uncomfortable	24
It is generally scruffy and un-homely	25
It requires attention generally	42
None of the above	1
Don't know	1

Q3 Which, if any, of the following household items would you most like him to buy for his house/flat?

	%
A new bed	40
Duvet/pillows/bed linen	41
Kitchen utensils/cookware	30
Crockery/glasses/mugs	27
Curtains/cushions/soft furnishings	43
Carpets/rugs	27
Decorative accessories e.g. mirrors, pictures, vases, candles	47
Storage facilities/cupboards/ drawers	28
Towels	43
Lighting/lamps	28
Living room furniture	26
Bedroom furniture	33
He needs to re-vamp the lot	25
None of these	9
Don't know	1

Q4 Have you ever been shopping with your boyfriend specifically to buy household items for his house/flat? IF NO: Is that because ...

Q5 When you go shopping with him to buy household items for his house/flat, which, if any, of the following best describes the experience?

	%
We have an enjoyable time	32
We buy the things we want	34
We tend not to find or agree on what we want	23
He becomes bored and disinterested	40
He becomes impatient and irritable	42
We just buy the first thing he sees	15
We just buy whatever I choose for him	29
We end up arguing	30
Other	5
None of these	0
Don't know	0

Q6 Do you think your boyfriend would buy more household items if he could do so without leaving home, for example over the internet?

Q7 Which of the following methods of purchasing household products do you currently use?

Q8 And, so far as you know, in which, if any, of the following ways does your boyfriend currently purchase household products?

Q9 And which can you see your boyfriend using more in the future for purchasing household products?

	Q7	Q8	Q9
	%	%	%
Buy products over the phone	22	9	24
Buy products over the internet	15	16	42
Buy products from a dedicated TV channel	7	6	18
None of these	66	75	33

Q10 Which, if any, of the following do you think would be most likely to encourage your boyfriend to shop for household items over the internet?

	%
If you could order 24hours a day	36
If it were fast and saved time	54
If it were easy/straightforward to place orders	55
It there were a wider choice than on the high street	53
If it were cheaper than on the high street	70
If it were fun	46
If there was a guarantee of security	56
If the privacy of your personal and banking details was guaranteed	62
If there were a high street store nearby to deal with orders and refunds etc.	62
If the goods were delivered directly to your home	67
None of these	7
Don't know	2