Survey reveals the items & activities Scots couldn’t go longer than a day without
– Wi-fi and mobile phones top the list of items Scottish respondents couldn’t go longer than a day without –
– Scots would rather go without a shower than their mobile phone –
A new survey of 2000 respondents from gadget insurance company Protect Your Bubble reveals which items or activities they couldn’t go longer than a day without.
Wi-Fi tops the list as over 65 percent of Scots revealed they couldn’t go longer than a day without it. This follows on from a record year in 2020 with 96 percent of UK households now having access to the internet.
| Top 10 items/activities Scottish respondents couldn’t go longer than a day without | ||
| # | Item/Activity | % of respondents |
| 1 | Wi-Fi | 65 |
| 2 | Mobile phone | 53 |
| 3 | Showering/Bathing | 49 |
| 4 | Tea/coffee | 48 |
| 5 | Pets | 39 |
| 6 | TV | 37 |
| 7 | Going outside for exercise | 25 |
| 8 | Snacks | 24 |
| 10= | Reading for leisure | 17 |
| 10= | Car | 17 |
What’s more, Scottish residence overwhelmingly prioritises their internet connectivity over hygiene – with a staggering 16 percent more people needing it over a quick shower in the day!
With whole host of stricter national restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Scottish residents to sit tight and work from home where possible, it’s no wonder that they’re prioritising connectivity. While not relying on it as much as the Welsh (71%), they’re needing it more than the UK average (60%).
The Scots are just as guilty when it comes to mobile phone usage, with 53 percent of respondents saying they couldn’t go a day without their phone. Whether it be for work purposes or trawling through social media, it’s clear the nation is hooked on their devices.
Despite Scots putting their phones and WIFI over hygiene, it turns out they might be the cleanest nation in the UK, as they’re the only country to prioritise having a good scrub over a morning cuppa.
It seems the Scots love affair with tea and coffee isn’t that strong, with less than half (48%) needing a cup daily – a whopping 18 percentage points down on Northern Ireland (66%) and 10 down on the Welsh (58%).
Pets (39%) closes out the top five items/activities that Scots can’t go longer than a day without, showing their devotion to their furry companions.
At the other end of the scale, it may come as no surprise to see ‘retail shopping’ and ‘seeing friends’ as the bottom two activities people can go longer than a day without, with only one percent viewing it as a priority.
With a struggling economy in these unprecedented times, and workers wanting to look after their disposable income, it’s no surprise that these are of low importance to people’s daily lives.
| Bottom items/activities Scottish respondents couldn’t go longer than a day without | ||
| # | Item/Activity | % of respondents |
| 1= | Retail Shopping | 1 |
| 1= | Seeing Friends | 1 |
| 3= | Beer | 2 |
| 3= | Gambling | 2 |
| 5= | Video games | 3 |
| 5= | Wine | 3 |
| 7 | Seeing family | 10 |
| 8 | Microwave | 12 |
It’s surprising to see ‘seeing family’ towards the bottom end of the table. However, this could be due to the national lockdown restricting the number of people you can see outside of your bubble.
That said, the longest period most respondents said they could go without family (27%) is a month – with 26 percent being fed up with just a week.
With Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently announcing the countries roadmap out of lockdown, it seems residents won’t have to wait much longer until they’re reunited with their loved ones.
James Brown, Director at Protect your bubble commented: “It’s really interesting to see what items or activities the UK public can or cannot go without for longer than a day. The pandemic has shifted peoples the perceptions of what they now view as a priority in their everyday lives.
“With mobile phones ranked highly for something people can’t go a day without, it’s important the public ensure their device is well-covered with the likes of insurance or mechanical breakdown cover should it ever get lost or damaged to minimise any disruption it may cause.”
To view the full survey results, click here