DECLINE IN BRITISH COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

12 October 2007

New study shows 48 percent of Britons view Bingo as important for social interaction


A new study commissioned by the Bingo Association in Britain suggests that 48 percent of the general population view bingo as an important venue for social interaction. The report entitled 'Social Impact of Bingo Club Closures' also revealed that an estimated 3.8 million adults in the UK (8.1 percent of the adult population) play bingo regularly.

And, contrary to popular belief, bingo is on the rise amongst younger audiences (16 percent rise for people aged under 41 in the last six years.)

The research into social interaction in local communities was conducted by The Henley Headlight Vision Centre, and has highlighted a steady decline in community.

Traditional forms of social interaction are important for communities but are under threat, according to the survey. Whilst the vast majority (97 percent) of people believe that traditional social activities in the UK help foster a sense of belonging in the community, nearly half (49 percent) say these are in decline and would prefer to stay at home, watch television, or spend time on the telephone with family and friends.

Conducted by across a sample of over 1 000 respondents in the UK, the study showed that more than two thirds of adults agree that, amongst other places, the church, local library, pub, sports and social club provide people with an ongoing sense of belonging in their community.

However, when asked which activities they personally prefer, staying at home with friends, watching TV, or spending time on the television are overwhelmingly more popular.

More highlights from the survey include:

* Whilst 70 percent of all adults believe that going to church is an important community activity, only 31 percent actually attend.

* Social networking and emailing have now overtaken going to church or to the local sports club in popularity. Three times as many 16-24 year olds use the Internet to interact with their family and friends as go to more traditional venues for meeting people. And social networking is fast approaching going to the pub in terms of its popularity amongst people in the UK.

* Watching television scored most highly in terms of preferred leisure activity, according to 85 percent of women and 78 percent of men.

* Eating out emerges as a popular social activity, and a way of keeping in touch with friends and family, but still falls behind watching TV in terms of preference.

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