More than half adults admit they’re competitive – with 42% revealing they keep this side of themselves a secret and pretend they’re not really bothered about winning or losing.
Research of 2,000 adults living in the UK carried out on behalf of 888poker found 30% are focussed on nothing else but winning when competing with others.
While 43% admit they find the thought of losing so unbearable they don’t like to let others win - even to be nice.
Although 39% aren’t quite so ruthless and would potentially give someone else the victory just out of the goodness of their heart. So perhaps it’s no surprise having someone they perceive to be an actual rival appears to bring out their competitive side even more.
More than eight in 10 (84%) have had someone they see this way at one time or another.
And of those who have, 27% have spent ‘hours’ practicing at something in order to defeat them - even if it was something which didn’t really have any true importance.
Despite this, just 21% believe others might see them as a ‘bad winner’ – someone who is ungracious in victory.
- However, 52% are convinced no one would describe them as such.
- While just 24% think they are not competitive and 50% claim they’re not so ruthless that they’ll pull out all the stops just to win.
- Similarly, 61% said they’ve ‘never’ spent large amounts of time trying to get better at something with defeating another the main motivation.
COMPETITIVE PURSUITS
And those polled are especially eager to take home the spoils when playing board games (35%), with this the activity which brings out their competitive side the most.
But it’s not the only one – others feel this way when doing sports (27%), when cheering on their favourite sports team (21%), and at work (18%). Indeed, career progression as a whole (16%) is an area those polled are keen to outperform their perceived rivals in.
But signs of wealth also appear to be an area many are concerned about when it comes to bettering others.
These include earnings (11%), having nicer home décor than others (10%), wearing the latest fashions (9%) and even having the most appealing garden (12%).
TOP 10 WAYS UK ADULTS ARE COMPETITIVE
- Playing board games (35%)
- Playing sports (27%)
- The sports team they support (21%)
- The workplace in general (18%)
- Career progression (16%)
- Having a nicer garden than neighbours (12%)
- Their salary (11.45%)
- Literally anything it can be possible to be competitive in – like who can peel potatoes fastest or something else random (11.05%)
- Having nicer home décor than others (10%)
- Adopting the latest fashion/style (9%)
NOT JUST A GAME
But this love of competition – if that’s the right way to describe it – extends beyond participation.
It also emerged 80% have a favourite gameshow and 76% have a favourite reality competition show.
The most popular gameshows among those polled are ‘The Chase’, ‘The 1% Club’, and ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire.’
Other favourites in the poll carried out on behalf of 888poker include Pointless, Tipping Point, and Catchphrase.
TOP 20 MOST POPULAR QUIZSHOWS IN THE UK
- The Chase (28%)
- The 1% Club (15%)
- Who Wants to be a Millionaire (14%)
- Pointless (13.15%)
- Tipping Point (12.9%)
- Catchphrase (11%)
- Deal or No Deal (10%)
- University Challenge (9.1%)
- Richard Osman's House of Games (9.05%)
- Mastermind (8.45%)
- Only Connect (8.4%)
- Michael McIntyre's The Wheel (8%)
- Countdown (7.15%)
- Family Fortunes (6.8%)
- The Weakest Link (6.3%)
- The Cube (6%)
- A Question of Sport (5.3%)
- Tenable (4.85%)
- The Hit List (4.75%)
- Eggheads (4.4%)
And ‘I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!’, ‘Great British Bake-Off’, and ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ are the top three most loved reality competition shows.
Also enjoyed by those polled are ‘Master Chef’, ‘The Apprentice’, and ‘Britain's Got Talent.’
TOP 20 MOST POPULAR REALITY COMPETITION SHOWS IN THE UK
- I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (17.45%)
- Great British Bake-Off (16.7%)
- Strictly Come Dancing (15%)
- Master Chef (13%)
- The Apprentice (12%)
- Britain's Got Talent (10%)
- Dragon’s Den (9%
- Come Dine with Me (7.3%)
- Celebrity Race Across the World (7.2%)
- Married at First Sight (7.15%)
- The Masked Singer (6.15%)
- Four in a Bed (6.1%)
- The Traitors (6.05%)
- Eurovision (5.85%)
- Big Brother (5.8%)
- Love Island (5.65%)
- Great British Sewing Bee (5.6%)
- Dancing on Ice (5.25%)
- Hunted (4.5%)
- Survivor (3.75%)
COMPETITION AND GENDER
The research carried out on behalf of 888 Poker saw 869 males and 1127 females polled.
And around two thirds of males (65%) said they are “a competitive person” and in contrast, 51% of females describe themselves the same way.
However, the difference between the number of people who are secretly competitive is much smaller – 44% compared to 41%. Almost four in 10 males (38%) revealed they will do anything to win during competitive scenarios, while 24% of females feel the same way.
A greater number of men (30%) than women (17%) have also spent hours practicing in order to outperform a close rival. Close to nine in 10 (87%) males have had someone they see this way – a rival – at one time or another, compared to 82% of females.
Men are also less inclined to let others win out of kindness - 48% versus 39%.
And when it comes to being a ‘bad winner’, 24% of males think they could be accurately described this way, while 18% of females think the same could be said of them.
Among those who watch TV, the number one reality competition show among men is ‘I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!’ and for women it’s ‘Great British Bake-Off.’
While the most popular quiz show is the same for all genders – ITV’s ‘The Chase.’
COMPETITION AND REGION
Competitiveness varied by region with more respondents from London than anywhere else admitting they like to win or outdo others.
As many as 68% of adults from the UK capital describe themselves this way, followed by the those from the North East (62%) and Scotland (61%).
Fewer people from Wales than anywhere else said they’re competitive (47%), just below those from the South West (48%) and those from Yorkshire and the Humber (49%).
UK REGIONS – MOST TO LEAST COMPETITIVE
- London (68%)
- North East (62%)
- Scotland (61%)
- East Midlands (59%) = West Midlands (59%)
- North West (58%)
- South East (57%)
- East of England (54%)
- Northern Ireland (52%)
- Yorkshire and the Humber (49%)
- South West (48%)
- Wales (47%)
The most ungracious winners also reside in London with 43% of those from this area of the UK revealing others are likely to see them this way.
Interestingly, the next highest was 21%, with East of England, the North East, the South East, and West Midlands all producing equal results.
The lowest – Yorkshire and the Humber – saw just 7% admit others might consider them to be bad winners.
UK REGIONS – BIGGEST ‘BAD WINNERS’
- London (43%)
- East of England (21%) = North East (21%) = South East (21%) = West Midlands (21%)
- North West (20%)
- East Midlands (19%)
- Wales (18%)
- Northern Ireland (17%) = Scotland (17%)
- South West (14%)
- Yorkshire and the Humber (7%)
When it comes to most secretively competitive, London again came top with 58% respondents from this region admitting these words could describe them.
The North East came second (53%) and the South East third (45%), with the lowest (30%) again from Yorkshire and the Humber.
As for letting others win, those residing in Yorkshire and the Humber (49%) are most generous in this respect – willing to forgo victory to brighten someone else’s day.
Wales (47%) came second, with the North East, South West, and West Midlands sharing third spot (43%).
The least inclined to let others win however was London.
UK REGIONS – MOST WILLING TO LET OTHERS WIN (JUST TO BE NICE)
- Yorkshire and the Humber 49%
- Wales 47%
- North West 43% = South West 43% = West Midlands 43%
- Northern Ireland 42%
- East Midlands 41%
- East of England 40% = Scotland 40%
- South East 39%
- North East 34%
- London 25%
COMPETITION TIME
Almost nine in 10 (89%) of those polled have entered or played some kind of competition at least once.
From the answer options available, the lottery is the most played to date (64%,) followed by scratch cards (51%) and pub quizzes (48%).
With prize draws (41%) and lottery syndicates (24%) also popular among respondents.
TOP 5 FAVOURITE COMPETITIONS
- Lottery tickets (64%)
- Scratch cards (51%)
- Pub quiz (48%)
- Prize draws (41%)
- Lottery syndicate (24%)
*The research of 2,000 adults (general population) was carried out on behalf of 888poker by OnePoll.com and took place between November 20, 2023, and December 4, 2023.
