On average, there are over 187,000 birthdays every single day in the UK, but how are birthday celebrations changing and what do Brits expect on their big day?
New research from greetings card marketplace, thortful, has lifted the lid on birthday bashes for Brits, pinpointing new trends such as solo celebrating, as well as a mixed bag of feelings towards turning a year older and why surprise parties are the bottom of the list compared to a birthday card being a sufficient present.
The city, age and gender split also reveals the preferences from different demographics across the UK, and the results are surprising!
Most Brits (39%) prefer to celebrate low-key with family, as well as casual activities such as an evening meal (25%) or having lunch (17%). 9% of Brits push the boat out and have week-long celebrations, 7% prefer to go abroad and enjoy their time on holiday.
Interestingly, one in 10 (10%) now prefer a solo celebration, and 5% are even trying the new half birthday trend of celebrating six months before the actual date. Just 5% want to have a party and 10% don’t enjoy celebrating a birthday at all.
See the full list below:
| How people like to celebrate their birthdays | Percentage |
| I celebrate low-key with family | 39% |
| Evening meal out | 25% |
| Lunch out | 17% |
| Shopping day | 11% |
| Pub night out | 10% |
| Day trip | 10% |
| I don’t celebrate my birthday | 10% |
| I’ve started celebrating birthdays on my own | 10% |
| I make my birthday celebrations last up to a week | 9% |
| I went away/will go away – either a staycation in the UK, or abroad | 7% |
| Museum/art gallery | 6% |
| Cinema/theatre | 6% |
| I celebrate a half birthday (6 months before my birthday) | 5% |
| A dedicated birthday event/party | 5% |
In terms of demographic split, 9% of men like to make their birthdays last as long as a week, compared to 8% women, whereas 10% of women like a holiday to celebrate, compared to 5% men.
20% of 25-34 year-olds are now trying solo birthdays, whereas 19% like their celebrations to last for as long as a week. 23% of Mancunians like a week-long party,25–34-year-oldseffield, where 15% like to celebrate solo. Half birthdays are trending with 10% of Mancunians, whereas 12% in Sheffield like a dedicated birthday event.
What do Brits now expect for their birthdays?
In terms of a male and female split, a third of women (33%) expect family to buy them a gift each year, compared to 29% men.
87% of women expect cards from family and friends each year, compared to 60% of men, whilst 31% of men don’t expect anything for their birthdays, compared to 23% of women.
59% of 25-34 year-olds expect gifts on their birthday, more than any other age range, whereas only 29% of 65+ expect a gift. 12% of 35-44 year-olds expect at least £10 spent on them and 40% of 55-64 year-olds don’t expect anything at all on their birthday.
8% of Glaswegians expect a surprise party, the highest out of all cities, and 64% of Mancunians expect gifts – again the highest percentage. 20% of people from Belfast only want a card on a milestone birthday, and 13% of Glaswegians only expect a gift on a milestone birthday. 15% of people in Sheffield expect at least £10 spent on them each year
The full overall findings can be found below:
| What Brits expect for their birthdays | Percentage |
| I expect card(s) from family each year | 45% |
| I expect family to buy me a gift/gifts each year | 31% |
| I expect card(s) from friends each year | 28% |
| I don’t expect anything from friends/family on my birthday | 27% |
| I expect friends to buy me a gift/gifts each year | 12% |
| I expect my friends/family to spend at least £10 on my present | 9% |
| I expect my friends/family to come to my celebration each year | 7% |
| I only expect cards from friends/family on big milestone birthdays (e.g. 18th, 21st, 40th, 50th etc.) | 6% |
| I only expect gifts from friends/family on big milestone birthdays (e.g. 18th, 21st, 40th, 50th etc.) | 6% |
| A surprise party | 4% |
How do Brits feel about their birthdays?
Although more than a quarter (26%) of people in the UK love a day of celebration, 16% get worried about their age each year and 13% claim they hate the attention. Almost one in 10 (8%) love to plan months in advance for their big day.
20% of women are worried about their age each year compared to 11% of men, and 27% of men love the day of celebration compared to 25% women. 21% of 65+’s are worried about their age each year, with 18-24s close behind at 18%. 15% of 19-24 year-olds feel upset on their birthday, and 17% of 55-64 year olds hate the attention. On the contrary, 16% of 25-34 year-olds like to plan months in advance for the big day.
| How people in the UK feel about their birthdays | Percentage |
| I love the day of celebration | 26% |
| I get worried about my age each year | 16% |
| I hate the attention | 13% |
| I love it – I plan it months in advance | 8% |
| I feel upset on my birthday | 5% |
| I get overwhelmed on the day | 3% |
For the best ways to plan and celebrate birthdays that suit loved ones, visit thortful’s blog here: https://www.thortful.com/blog/birthday-celebrations/
