Sheffield named as the UK’s politest city, while Londoners feel the most underappreciated
Brits often experience the feeling of offering a polite gesture and being met with no thanks in return. Yet, they can also be guilty of saying ‘thank you’ out of habit and in situations where they don’t actually mean it.
So, how wide is the gap between the appreciation we give and the appreciation we receive? Moonpig, the UK’s leading online greeting card and gift retailer, surveyed 1,500 Brits to find out more.
The UK’s politest cities
- Sheffield - 16.1
- Bristol - 16
- Glasgow - 15
- Edinburgh – 14.8
- Leeds - 14.6
Sheffield takes top place, with residents in the Steel City saying "thank you" or a similar phrase an average of 16.1 times a day. Therefore, over the course of a single year, a typical Sheffield local will express their gratitude approximately 5,887 times.
Bristol takes 2nd place, with locals on average saying thanks 16 times daily, making them the most appreciative residents in the South.
In Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh take 3rd and 4th position. Residents in Glasgow say thank you on average 15 times per day with Edinburgh residents just slightly less polite, on average saying thank you 14.8 times per day.
The UK’s most underappreciated cities
- London – 7.2*
- Sheffield – 6
- Edinburgh – 5.4
- Glasgow – 5
- Bristol – 4.8
*The difference between the average number of thanks people give versus receive daily.
London takes top place for the highest "gratitude gap" in the country. While the average Londoner says thank you 14.3 times a day, they only hear the phrase said back to them 7.1 times. Therefore, Londoners give out twice as much gratitude as they receive in return, resulting in a deficit of over 2,600 "unreturned" thank yous every year.
Sheffield takes 2nd place for underappreciation. Despite being the most vocal city in the UK for giving thanks (16.1), locals only hear it back 10.1 times per day. This leaves a gap of 6, meaning that over 37% of a Sheffield resident’s polite gestures are met with silence.
Edinburgh takes 3rd position. With 14.8 thanks given daily but only 9.5 received, residents face a gratitude gap of 5.3. That means that for every three times an Edinburgh local shows appreciation to someone else, they are likely to be ignored.
How many times on average do Brits say thank you each day?
Moonpig’s research has found that on average, Brits say ‘thank you’ 14 times per day but only receive a thank you from someone else 10 times, highlighting a gap in reciprocal appreciation.
While these high figures suggest a polite nation, much of it is social protocol. In fact, 56% of Brits admit that they frequently use the phrase ‘thank you’ without actually meaning it.
Sarah-Jane Porter, Moonpig’s Global Design & Licensing Director, comments:
“It’s positive to see that as a nation, we are generally appreciative and day-to-day the average Brit says thank you multiple times, but in Britain there is a ‘politeness paradox:’ Brits are saying thank you out of habit, yet feel under-appreciated.
What is clear is that genuine gratitude still matters. While a text is easy, heartfelt gestures like a thank you in person or sending a card are what truly connects us.”