Virtual Party Hotspots: Brits are (virtual) partying 3 times each week!
Perhaps the hardest part of the whole lockdown has been the fact we were unable to go out and enjoy ourselves: see friends, go to a bar, kick back, have fun... obviously it’s been for the greater good, but there’s no doubt that people across Britain & Ireland have missed seeing their friends.
It’s no wonder, then, that the concept of virtual partying has emerged from the pandemic; if we have not been able meet people in real life, then we’ll meet them on-screen instead! The growth and popularity of various different social media and online tools, from Zoom to Houseparty, has fuelled our ability to congregate with others, just in a different way. And virtual parties, where people at home can talk, laugh and drink ‘together’, have taken off, big time.
So just how much are we virtual-partying? PRPioneer.com, provider of PR and digital marketing resources, wanted to find out where the UK & Ireland's ‘virtual’ party hotspots are, and surveyed 3,700 of us. It turns out that on average, we attend 3 virtual parties each week! Londoners emerged as the hardest-virtual-partiers, attending 6 virtual parties each week, on average. Phew! Well, at least they get a one evening off... The least sociable are in Wales, Scotland and the South West of England, who only virtually-party 2 days per week.
Even though the party is virtual, the alcohol most definitely isn’t! 1 in 10 of us admit to having experienced more hangovers during lockdown than before it started. This is probably because the average number of drinks people consume at the party is 4.5; and with nearly half (43%) of us saying our favorite beverage is beer, it’s little wonder! Over a third (35%) prefer wine, 17% drink spirits, and 5% indulge in cocktails.
Just because it’s a virtual do, doesn’t mean people aren’t making an effort, either; over a quarter of us (29%) get dressed up or put on make-up for our video-fest. And some are so keen to attend as many as possible that they gatecrash other people’s parties! 12% admit to having done so, something that’s easily done on apps like Houseparty, for example.
The good news is, people are still flirting and trying to find love online. On average, singles are going on 4 virtual video dates per week - which seems like a lot, but it could be because it’s easier to arrange a couple of dates on the same evening. It’s not like you have to leave the house and go anywhere, after all! Men are dating more, with 5 per week compared to women’s 4.
