Happy Technomas: Technology Takes Over Brits Festive Behaviour

London, U.K., December 8, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ​​Happy Technomas: Technology Takes Over Brits Festive Behaviour

·       Nation will spend over 2 hours each glued to mobile screens on Christmas Day

"Traditions change every year, but technology is now firmly embedded in the nation's Christmas Day habits. "As well as enjoying the presents, parents should encourage their children to find out more about how they work. Encouraging these inquisitive skills will help make science and maths more relevant to young people."

Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK

·       Two fifths of kids’ questions about how Christmas presents work go unanswered

·       Kids and parents can discover the science behind their presents at The Big Bang Fair, NEC Birmingham, March 16-19 2016

Gadgets and technology have helped change the nation’s Christmas Day habits according to new research. [1]

While 20 years ago, the Christmas Day movie and the Queen’s Speech were a firm part of the nation’s Christmas Day, their popularity has now declined today. Families are now more likely to go for a walk and personal devices are now more popular than previously.

Additionally, the figures released by the organisers of The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair, show that Brits will spend an average of 2.1 hours glued to their mobile or tablet screens on Christmas Day.

With fewer than one in ten (9%) pledging not to check their phones, one in twenty (4%) will spend more than six hours on their mobiles.

The research shows new Christmas traditions have also emerged in recent years with a quarter of the country (26%) playing games on their consoles, 17% Skype-ing friends or family overseas and 16% sat in different rooms watching TV programmes and films on iPads/tablets. Almost one in ten (7%) will put unwanted gifts on eBay.

With over a quarter of all presents (27%) requiring charging or plugging into the mains, it looks like the nation is set for a Christmas Day power surge at 11am – the most popular time for opening gifts.

But for parents, Christmas Day will be a confusing time with two fifths (40%) of kids’ questions about how their presents work going answered by baffled parents. One in ten parents (11%) don’t feel confident answering any of their child’s questions about the technology behind the presents, with parents in the South West least likely to be able to explain how things work. Meanwhile almost a third of Scots (30%) are confident they can answer all of their children’s festive technology questions. [3]

Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK which organises The Big Bang Fair said:

“Traditions change every year, but technology is now firmly embedded in the nation’s Christmas Day habits.

“As well as enjoying the presents, parents should encourage their children to find out more about how they work. Encouraging these inquisitive skills will help make science and maths more relevant to young people.”

“It’s not always easy for parents to answer the questions about how technology works. At The Big Bang Fair parents and their children can have their questions answered by professionals working with these technologies and try out some of the science and engineering behind them.

“Young visitors to The Fair will enjoy high-octane theatre shows, over 150 interactive stands and workshops as well as access to careers information, resources and activities. The Fair offers experiences in virtual reality, medicine, marine biology, film and TV, space exploration, explosive chemistry, crime-solving, robots, computer coding, microscopic bugs, giant trucks and more.”

Families who want to know more about how technology works and meet the people behind it can use the Christmas period to plan a trip to The Big Bang Fair at the NEC in Birmingham. The annual event inspires young people to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The event, aimed primarily at 11-14 year old children and their parents, will take place from 16 to 19 March 2016.

Free tickets to The Big Bang Fair are available now at www.thebigbangfair.co.uk.

ENDS

Notes to editors

For more information or interviews with finalists, please contact:

Monica Wilson – 07789 070 072 / monica.wilson@claremontcomms.com

[1] Bilendi interviewed 1,937 adults over the age of 18 representative of the UK population between the 20th & 22nd November 2015.

[2] The top five activities for Christmas 20 years ago were:

-       Watching the Christmas Day movie (57%)

-       Calling family on the phone (51%)

-       Watching the Queen’s Speech (39%)

-       Reading the Radio Times or other TV listings magazines (36%)

-       Watching soaps on TV (31%)

The top five activities planned for this year are:

-       Calling family on the phone (52%)

-       Watching the Christmas Day movie (41%)

-       Going for a walk (29%)

-       Calling friends on the phone (27%)

-       Watching the Queen’s Speech (25%)

[3] Number of parents unable to answer any questions about how their children’s presents work by region:

South West: 17%

Yorkshire & Humber: 16%

North East: 16%

East Midlands: 12%

East of England: 11%

National average: 11%

North West: 11%

West Midlands: 10%

South East: 10%

Wales: 9%

London: 7%

Scotland: 6%

Number of parents who estimate they can answer all their children’s questions about how presents work:

Scotland: 30%

Yorkshire & Humber: 24%

North West: 22%

Wales: 22%

West Midlands: 21%

London: 20%

National average: 20%

North East: 20%

South East: 19%

South West: 19%

East Midlands: 16%

East of England: 13%

About The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair

• The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK. It takes place from 16-19 March 2016 at The NEC, Birmingham, and will celebrate and raise the profile of young people’s achievement in science and engineering and encourage more young people to take part in science, technology, engineering and maths initiatives with support from their parents and teachers. www.thebigbangfair.co.uk

·       School groups are invited to visit the first three days of The Big Bang Fair, which will also be open to the public on the Saturday. Young people will leave enlightened about how science and engineering feature in everything they wear, eat and do. A number of apprentice, graduate and experienced engineers and scientists will be on hand to quiz and young people will have the opportunity to discover how science and maths can lead to a great career. The Big Bang Fair hosts the finals of the prestigious National Science + Engineering Competition.