Being drunk abroad ‘British trait’

More than a quarter of people in the UK think getting drunk abroad is a British characteristic, a new survey has revealed.

Twenty-eight per cent of people think getting drunk abroad is a British attribute, while fewer than one in three people think working hard makes people British.

Opinium Research surveyed 2,012 UK adults and found that 60 per cent of them thought drinking tea was a British trait – closely followed by talking about the weather.

Forty per cent of people associate a “stiff upper lip” with being British and 32 per cent of people think supporting the Royal Family is a British characteristic.

But fewer than half of people living in England knew it was Saint George’s day today, according to the survey.

Only 48 per cent of people know the date which celebrates England’s patron saint, yet 57 per cent know when St Patrick’s Day is.

In comparison, eight in 10 people in Wales know when St David’s Day is and everyone surveyed in Northern Ireland knew when St Patrick’s Day fell.

Despite not knowing England’s saint’s day, 61 per cent of English people described themselves as English rather than British.

James Endersby, managing director of Opinium Research, said: “Our research has revealed that it’s hard to pin down what it means to be British.”