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Cheap Egypt Holidays > Travel News > Plans for Bank Holiday show Britons 'lack national purpose'
Plans for Bank Holiday show Britons 'lack national purpose' | | 8th August 2008 |
Britons lack "national purpose" according to a study which found that most people prefer to spend their Bank Holiday watching television or surfing the internet rather than celebrating the country's heritage.
The survey of 2,000 adults found that only half think there should be a special day each year in honour of Britishness, and fewer than a third want street parties and festivals such as those enjoyed across Europe.
More than one in three said they were not interested in celebrating their heritage or taking part in community events on Bank Holidays.
It comes despite repeated calls for Britain to have a national day to promote a common identity.
Two-thirds of those questioned by Mintel, the market research firm, said they would spend this Bank Holiday watching television or surfing the internet. One in three also said they would just relax at home, while about one in five planned to go to the pub.
Only 14 per cent said they would use the day off to visit family and friends or walk in the countryside.
Mintel said the findings showed public holidays "lack any real meaning beyond having a day off work" for the typical Briton.
The firm's leisure spokesman James McCoy said: "There is still a growing debate around adding an extra Bank Holiday to the calendar, particularly one that celebrates a shared identity or sense of Britishness.
"For this to work people need to get off the sofa and get involved, much like our overseas counterparts who often celebrate national days with fiestas and carnivals.
"Brits are simply not proactive or spontaneous during their bank holidays, preferring to lounge around the house or catch up on some rest. The fact that we don't do anything on bank holidays could well reflect this lack of national purpose."
Earlier this year Liam Byrne, the Immigration Minister, said the August Bank Holiday should be turned into "Britishness Day" and celebrated with street parties to improve community relations.
The Institute for Public Policy Research, a Labour-leaning think-tank, has also suggested that a new Bank Holiday should be created in November to honour local heroes.
But only 55 per cent of those quizzed by Mintel thought there should be another Bank Holiday between the end of August and Christmas, and only 50 per cent said it should celebrate Britishness.
About four in 10 said Britons should have a day off to mark Remembrance Day on November 11, and a similar proportion said St George's Day in April should be a Bank Holiday. |
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