New YouGov research on the nation's dancing skills finds two thirds of fathers describe themselves as bad or terrible dancers
There is a phenomenon that blights all wedding receptions, discos and other special occasions: dad dancing. We’ve all seen them at some point or another – middle aged men gleefully busting inexplicable dance moves, much to the horror of their nearby offspring.
New YouGov data can now confirm the extent of the dad dancing phenomenon. More than two thirds of dads (68%) describe themselves as bad or terrible dancers, compared to 61% of men who are not fathers. Despite their ineptitude, dads are also having more fun on the dancefloor than non-dads, with 39% saying they enjoy dancing compared to 32% of men who aren’t fathers.
Looking more broadly at Britain’s dancing habits, it is clear that dancing is a skill the public has failed to master – just 10% of people say they are either great or good at dancing. Women are most likely to describe themselves as “average” dancers (41%), whereas men are most likely to describe themselves as “terrible” dancers (also 41%).
The genders are also heavily split in their enjoyment of dancing. Three quarters of women say that they like dancing, more than double the 36% of men who say the same. By contrast, nearly half of men (49%) say they dislike dancing, compared to just 19% of women.
Men are also much harder to entice on to the dancefloor in the first place. Nearly four in ten men (37%) say they have to be dragged on to the dancefloor, whilst 31% say they never dance. Women by contrast are much more happy to dance, but would prefer to not to have to do so on an empty dancefloor.
