Dinner table talk
Friday 7th January 2011: Despite the huge political changes and issues facing the nation, families are more likely to discuss reality television shows than politics when sitting around the dinner table – according to new research out today(1). And, sometimes, the conversation is so heated that families have faced kitchen fires as a result of forgotten courses going up in flames.
The study by Sheilas’ Wheels home insurance shows that people are more concerned about what happens in shows such as The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing than political and social issues which would impact them.
Indeed, 34 per cent of dinner guests admit they love to chat about celebrities, Z-listers and celebrity-wannabes over dinner, but the most popular topic of conversation for Brits remains the weather – with an incredible 49 per cent admitting they love nothing more than a debate about the forecast whilst eating their dinner.
Other popular dinner table topics include news about friends and family, funny stories about work colleagues and what the children have been up to.
But unfortunately, 28 per cent of people admit they have been so engrossed in a discussion over dinner that they accidently burnt half their meal.
Four in 10 Brits (40 per cent) admit it is not uncommon for the smoke alarm to go off while they are preoccupied chatting to guests. Alarmingly, one in 20 people have even risked a house fire after becoming so absorbed in conversation that a course actually bursts into flames.
Jacky Brown at Sheilas’ Wheels home insurance, which polled 3,000 people said: “Programmes such as The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing have had the nation gripped not only whilst sitting in front of the box, but also as a hot topic of conversation at the dinner table.”
“Whilst it’s great to get gripped into a conversation whilst sitting around the dinner table, hosts need to be aware that being too engrossed in table talk could lead to an unforeseeable accident in the kitchen. That’s why it’s important to have accidental damage cover as some mishaps might become unavoidable.”
The research also revealed that a quarter of those polled admit they love to bitch about their annoying work colleagues while eating, while plans for a holiday keep a third of folk talking and 28 per cent love to complain about stressful work-loads.
Other more serious topics of table talk include the cost of living, the health of family members and the local news.
Just under a third of people like to recommend films they have watched recently, and 36 per cent use dinner as an opportunity to discuss plans for up and coming events, such as Birthdays and Anniversaries.
Interestingly, the average person will spend 35 minutes eating dinner when all family members are present, and a further 36 minutes chatting afterwards.
And over half (52 per cent) of people reckon they are more likely to have a decent conversation with family members when sitting around the dinner table.
In fact, 13 per cent say the only time they communicate with family members is at dinner.
Jacky Brown further commented: “Today’s modern women lead very busy and hectic lifestyles, so it’s not surprising that discussions such as the cost of living and finances make an appearance as one of the top 20 table topic conversations – as it may be the only time they have to discuss such important issues with their loved ones.”
TOP TABLE TALK TOPICS:
- The weather
- News about friends of the family
- How good the meal tastes
- Food in general
- Funny stories about the family
- The local news
- Stories about work colleagues
- What the children have been up to
- Up and coming events
- Health of family members
- Reality television shows
- Plans for a holiday
- Reminiscing about the past
- Work load
- Cost of living and finances
- Films watched recently
- Relatives / family disputes
- Bitching at work
- Repairs to the house
- Politics
- ends -
Sheilas’ Wheels press contacts:
Asia Yasir, Public Relations Officer: 01737 641305
Adrian Webb, Head of Corporate Communications: 01737 641000
Email: pr@sheilaswheels.com
Visit the media centre: www.sheilaswheels.com
Visit the official fansite for Sheilas’ Wheels: www.ilovesheilas.com
An ISDN line is available for radio interviews.
Case studies are available on request.
Notes to Editors:
(1) SWNS conducted an online research survey via Onepoll which interviewed a random sample of 3,000 homeowners aged 18 and over between 21st – 24th December 2010.
