Member Article

New survey reveals Brits have become more forgetful during the pandemic

A new survey has revealed that over half of adults in the UK have forgotten something vital when leaving the house in the past 12 months, with 56% of British adults admitting to leaving an essential item at home, with the most common item being their face mask (32%), followed by their phone (21%), wallet (13%), glasses (11%), headphones (10%) or keys (9%).

The survey, conducted by Fantastic Services Locksmiths, questioned more than 2000 Brits - also discovered that younger people were more likely to forget something when leaving home, with nearly three quarters (72%) of 18-34s forgetting an essential item, compared to just over two fifths (43%) of over 55s.

Locked out

Whilst keys may be the least likely item to forget, more than half (53%) of UK adults admit to locking themselves out of their home, with almost three in ten (27%) having been locked out of their home more than once, at an average of two times each. Londoners are the most likely to lock themselves out of their home (67%), while people who live in Sheffield are the least likely, with only a third (32%) saying this had happened to them.

Three in ten (27%) of those who had been locked out of their house went to someone they lived with for help, while a fifth sought help from a partner/family member they don’t live with, or a neighbour (both 20%). A further one in eight (12%) went to a friend, while one in ten (10%) contacted a locksmith.

Those aged 55 and over were most likely to turn to a neighbour for help (24%), while one in eight 35- 54-year-olds turned to a locksmith for help (13%).

Trust

Eight in ten (80%) UK adults have shown trust by giving a spare set of house keys to someone else, with the most common recipients being their children (28%), their parents (25%), a neighbour (21%), a partner/love interest (19%), and a friend (14%). Those aged 55 and over are most likely to have given a set of house keys to someone else (83%), compared to just under three quarters (74%) of those aged 18-34.

One in ten (10%) UK adults say they have never given their house keys to anyone else and wouldn’t consider doing so.

Three in ten (30%) UK adults admit to having gone to bed leaving the door unlocked, while just under a fifth (18%) have hidden a set of keys in a “secret place” to access later.

One in ten (10%) say they have had to break into their own house when they’ve been locked out, while 7% have lost a set of keys and not had the locks changed for their home.

Rune Sovndahl, Co-Founder of Fantastic Services says, “The research correlates with the increased demand we have seen for our locksmith services since restrictions begin to ease, with demand for locksmiths increasing by 150% compared to pre-pandemic levels - as people seem to have become more forgetful – especially in the cities. It’s almost like we haven’t left home for so long, we’ve forgotten our routine – and now we can leave the house – people are locking themselves out more often than before! It’s always frustrating to lock yourself out, but it’s a great time to be in the locksmith business.”

Fantastic Services provide locksmith protection for homes and commercial properties throughout the UK.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Fantastic Services .