YouGov / VisitGuernsey consumer survey  -  key findings

The ‘traditional’ in day-to-day life

86% of those surveyed would welcome a return to ‘traditional values and ways of life’ such as good manners, politeness, fairness, independent local shops and pubs.

57% (and 67% of women!) said they have noticed a trend towards more traditional products and pastimes such as vintage clothing, home-grown vegetables and knitting.

93% agreed that eating fresh, locally-sourced produce is desirable.

On a scale of 1-10, 35% of respondents with kids aged under 18 rated eating family meals around the dining table as a ‘10’ in importance; 84% rated it as ‘7’ or above.  32% said that they ate together on 10 or fewer occasions per month.

44% said they didn’t spend enough quality time with loved ones.

The ‘traditional’ applied to holidays and short breaks

53% of those surveyed felt nostalgic about the family holidays they had as children.  This group was asked what they liked most about those holidays, the top three answers being: ‘spending time with family’ (43%); ‘coming together’ (42%); and ‘having fun’ (26%).

On a scale of 1-10, 48% rated spending quality time with loved ones on holiday as a ‘10’ in importance; 80% rated it as an ‘8’ or above.

64% rated being able to choose from a range of activities as a ‘7’ or above in importance.

34% rated being able to speak the language when on holiday as a ‘7’ or above in importance.

73% rated natural, unspoilt surroundings as a ‘7’ or above in importance.

64% rated good food & wine as a ‘7’ or above in importance.

66% rated having a unique, personal holiday experience rather than a mass package as a ‘7’ or above in importance.

88% felt children can enjoy a holiday without theme parks or amusement arcades.

75% said they were likely to include some light activity (cycling, walking, etc) when on a holiday or short break.

43% said they would prefer a breakfast freshly cooked to order, versus 23% who preferred a buffet breakfast.

66% said that travel time and distance were either ‘very significant’ or ‘somewhat significant’ in their choice of holiday destination.

81% said that ‘being able to potter and explore at your own pace’ in their holiday destination appealed to them.

75% said a ‘relaxed, traditional atmosphere’ appealed to them.

62% said an ‘authentic, genuine feel’ appealed to them.

67% said coastal locations and great beaches appealed to them.

Just 14% said a theme park appealed to them, while amusement arcades appealed to just 8% of respondents.

What about the family market?

More parents with children aged eight and under (62%) felt nostalgic about their childhood family holidays than any other group.

Spending lots of quality time with loved ones while on holiday was rated an ‘8’ or above in importance, on a scale of 1-10, by 80% of respondents  -  but this rose to 84 per cent among parents with younger children and 83 per cent among grandparents.  85 per cent of all women rated this an ‘8’ or above.

79 per cent of parents with kids aged 8 or younger said they are likely to include active pursuits such as countryside walks and cycling on their holiday  -  a higher percentage than any other group.

91 per cent of parents with kids aged 8 or younger said their children are perfectly capable of enjoying a great holiday without amusement arcades and theme parks!

And the over-50s?

The desire for ‘unique and personal’ holidays rather than ‘mass package’ experiences is strongest in the over-50s  -  74% compared with 66% overall rating this a ‘7’ or above in importance on a 1-10 scale.

The over-50s are the group who most welcome the thought of a return to traditional values and ways of life (92%), and not surprisingly the group who found a ‘relaxed traditional atmosphere’ most appealing while on holiday (78%).

Over-50s want quality: 96% agreed that eating fresh, locally sourced produce is desirable; they’re also more likely to want a freshly-cooked breakfast (49% compared with 43% overall).

The over-50s are also the group who most want to be able to ‘potter and explore at their own pace’ (86% versus 81% generally), but don’t think that means they’re taking it easy:  in fact, a higher proportion of over-50s (40%) said they are ‘very likely’ to include activities like walking or cycling in their holiday or short break than any other group!

For more information on Guernsey visit www.VisitGuernsey.com or head over to our post about the Timelessness of visiting Guernsey.

NOTES:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2,078 adults. This included 927 parents of children aged 8 or younger and 1107 adults aged 50+, each group being weighted on gender, region and social grade to ensure representivity. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22-27 February 2010.  The survey was carried out online.

After being posted online, the survey received the following feedback from Mum bloggers:

sleepisfortheweak (Josie George):

“Yes I would definitely say that mine and my husbands attitudes towards holidays match the findings. I think ‘family holidays’ are these days often thought about in terms of resort-type holidays, big and impersonal, where everything happens on location and usually revolves around children being fobbed off in activity groups while parents drink too much by the pool! We HATE that kind of holiday.

For us, spending time together is really important. Somewhere beautiful, with varied locations we can explore to a schedule that suits us. We don’t want school dinners food in a canteen but local, delicious food. We want to feel a part of the location in which we’re staying, with chance to get to know the are and the people, not feel like tourists hidden away. And yes, I feel like that reflects our family values as well. We don’t like big theme parks but would rather teach Kai about nature. Outdoor pursuits such as cycling, walking, fishing etc are definitely going to be things we look for in a holiday, especially once Kai is a bit older.

We want our son Kai to have memories of holidays that are all different, not a whole series of personality lacking resorts that all look the same and will blend together in his head!

So yes, that all definitely sounds like our cup of tea!”

EnglishMum (Becky):

“I’d certainly concur.  I’m a stay at home Mum (although I do some writing), and my husband works very hard.  We’re very keen on making sure we eat as a family every night and obviously I insist on providing a proper, home-cooked meal.  When we do get a rare break together, it’s about spending some decent time with our children, taking time to have fun (preferably on a beach), enjoy each others’ company and take in some sights, whilst enjoying eating out together.

I’m not quite in the ‘knit your own yoghurt’ category, but I think a return to more traditional values is so relevant at the moment, with less money flying around it makes sense to be ‘making do’, growing your own food and enjoying traditional holidays.”

Cafe Bebe (Karin Joyce)

“Very interesting survey.  I would agree with most of it.  For us, we don’t have the money to be taking off to places far and wide and the choice of a UK destination is very appealing.  We also want a place which is very family friendly and comfortable…a home away from home, if you will.  My daughter is 21 months and needs to keep a certain level of routine so “comfortable, family-friendly holidays” are very desirable.  I’m happy to do a blog post about family holidays…I’ll try to get something out as soon as possible and may even do my own survey!  Would that be of interest to you?  I would love to have some images of Guernsey to share…I need to learn more! .”