Stress turns Europeans to TV

Research from Sharp shows that 89% of Europeans are turning to the TV to help them escape from stress.

The survey, which looked at European viewing habits, found that they’re most likely to forget money worries (top worry for 44%) by watching comedies like Outnumbered and Peep Show. It also found that the UK is the reality TV capital of Europe, Spaniards aren’t soap fans and the serious Germans like to relax while watching documentary films.

What are they watching?

Most tune into comedy when they want to escape from the stresses and strains of everyday life (56% men and 59% women). Sport is the second most popular TV to relax to for men especially football, rugby and tennis while more than half of women (55%) want to scare the stress out of their system with crime dramas like The Killing and Breaking Bad.

The UK is the reality TV capital of Europe, with 37% of Brits relaxing to reality shows like Geordie Shore and TOWIE. Reality TV is nearly twice as popular in the UK than in Germany (17%) and Spain (19%) and considerably more popular than in France (25%).

Other national arguments over the remote control might arise over soaps: only 7% Spaniards would choose to escape to soap operas, compared to a quarter or more people in France (29%), Germany (24%) and UK (26%).

Top 3: Favourite TV viewing to escape to

UK

France

Germany

Spain

1

Comedy (72%)

Comedy (66%)

Comedy/ Blockbuster films (57%)

Blockbuster films (67%)

2

Blockbuster films (60%)

Blockbuster films (61%)

—

Comedy (65%)

3

Reality TV (37%)

Crime dramas (31%)

Crime dramas (37%)

Sport (57%)

More money, more problems

Post-summer holiday blues aren’t the only reason that Eurpeans are reaching for the remote, the survey showed that across Europe, most people are currently worried about money. Work comes a close second for UK, France and Spain, pushed into third place in Germany (29%) by concerns over health (36%).

Hardly confirming their reputation as a nation of lovers, one in five French people (21%) most want to escape their relationship worries, compared to only 13% Spaniards.

Top 3: What we want to escape from

UK

France

Germany

Spain

1

Money worries (41%)

Money worries (39%)

Money worries (38%)

Money worries (56%)

2

Work worries (29%)

Work worries (29%)

Health worries (36%)

Work worries (46%)

3

Health worries (28%)

Health worries (26%)

Work worries (29%)

Health worries (25%)

Sporting favourites

Showing how much they are missing the Olympics, one year on, it’s still the top answer for the French when asked what their favourite TV sport is (43%). For the UK, ‚’Murraymania’ perhaps goes some way to explain why Brit’s top favourite sport to watch is tennis (43%), closely followed by football (41%). Recent Spanish and German European football dominance is reflected in the fact that over half of Germans (58%) and an impressive (67%) of Spaniards escape to football success and triumph on TV.

Top 3: Favourite sports to watch at home

UK

France

Germany

Spain

1

Tennis (43%)

Olympics (43%)

Football (58%)

Football (67%)

2

Football (41%)

Tennis (33%)

Olympics (37%)

Tennis (46%)

3

Olympics (40%)

Football (31%)

Athletics (31%)

Olympics (43%)

Comedy is the most popular film genre to escape to in UK (51% people), France (58%) and Spain (67%), while serious Germans like to get absorbed in a good documentary (42%)

Top 3: Favourite films to escape to

UK

France

Germany

Spain

1

Comedy (51%)

Comedy (58%)

Documentary (42%)

Comedy (67%)

2

Thriller (49%)

Adventure (52%)

Romantic comedy (40%)

Adventure (56%)

3

Action (42%)

Action (47%)

Thriller (40%)

Action (55%)

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