February 2012
Featured in this insight: Culture, heritage & leisure, Public health & wellbeing
Survey finds many adult Britons wont be parted from their teddy bear: A survey of 6,000 Britons by hotel chain Travelodge has found that 35% of adults in the UK still sleep with a teddy bear.
The study follows the efforts of Travelodge staff trying to reunite more than 75,000 forgotten bears in 452 of their hotels – only to discover that many were in fact owned by adults instead of children.
Respondents who took part in the survey said that their furry friends help them to de-stress and sleep at night.
Furthermore, 15% of men and 10% of women admitted sharing intimate secrets with their bear, in effect treating it like their best friend.
The survey found that the average teddy in Britain is 27 years old, with around 50% of adult Britons saying they still have a bear from their childhood.
A quarter of the male surveyants admitted to taking their teddy bear away on business to remind them of home and soothe them into falling asleep, while a total of 26% of male find it acceptable to have a bear regardless of age.
Nevertheless, 14% of married men claimed they hide their teddy when friends or family come to visit, and a tenth of unmarried men admitted to putting their bears away when their girlfriend stays over.
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