Half the nation dislikes having to do the ironing, but many Brits enjoy cooking and having a good tidy up
With spring just around the corner, it won’t be long before people across the country go into spring cleaning mode and give the whole house a good scrub.
But for many people, having to do work around the house will be the last thing they want to do – six million Brits reportedly hire someone to help out with the housework.
With this in mind, new YouGov research has looked at how many Britons actually enjoy doing household chores, and which chores are the most enjoyed and disliked.
The results reveal that cooking is by far the nation’s favourite chore: more than six in ten (62%) of Brits say they enjoy cooking, compared to just 15% who do not.
Having a good tidy up is also an enjoyable experience for many Brits. With 44% of people saying they enjoy tidying and organising, it was the only other household chore that Britons are more likely to enjoy than dislike (21%).
On the other hand, ironing happens to be Britain’s most hated household chore. Half the country dislikes having to do the ironing (including 30% who say they dislike it a lot), whilst just 16% of people find any enjoyment from the chore.
In fact, the people of Britain dislike ironing so much that 10% say they never do it. Young people (14%) and men (13%) in particular are the most likely to avoid doing the ironing. Whether this means they pass the task off on a family member, go to a dry cleaners or simply wear creased clothes is unclear.
Cleaning the house was also a particularly unpopular chore, with 44% of people saying they dislike having to do so.
It seems that, as time goes by, Brits become less resentful of having to do things around the home. For almost all of the chores listed, those Brits who are aged 55 and over tend to me the least likely to say that they actively dislike doing that particular chore, and tend to be the most likely to say that they neither enjoy nor dislike having to do them.
Quick or well?
With so many people clearly finding doing the chores… a chore, you’d forgive them for wanting to spend as little time as possible on them.
Despite their dislike for most of the household chores we surveyed, the majority of Brits think it is important to do the household chores well. Nevertheless, with the exception of cooking (which people are much more keen to do well) and taking out the bins (which people are much more keen to do quickly) a hardcore of 34-43% of people just want to get the chores out of the way, saying that their priority is to get them done quickly rather than well.
Photo: iStockphoto
