Friendships are important to our overall wellbeing. Aside from simply combating loneliness, they’re a great way to make memories and bond over shared interests.
But research by the Campaign to End Loneliness revealed that less of us are taking the time to interact with new people around us. In fact, nearly half (49%) of UK adults haven’t made a new friend in a while.
A lot of this seemed to be down to our growing busy schedules, with 63 per cent citing work and 65 per cent citing chores as the key reasons. It seems we’re just too busy to make new friends, as sad as that is.
Card and Gift Company Moonpig conducted some research into just how friendly the UK is, by analysing three key friendship qualities: generosity, welcoming, and how trustworthy they are.
They also looked at an online search interest around friendship, to see who was actively seeking new ones whilst maintaining current bonds with friends.
By judging internal gift giving and external surveys, they revealed that Plymouth is officially the friendliest UK city based on its well-rounded scores.
Plymouth had a generosity score of 86/100, a welcome score of 72/100, a trust score of 94/100 and an online search interest of 44/100.
Brighton came second, with a generosity score of 89/100, a welcoming score of 50/100, a trust score of 72/100 and an online search interest of 56/100.
Leeds came in third place with an overall score of 264, followed by Norwich (258), Cardiff (256) and Portsmouth (253).
Newcastle scored seventh overall (242), followed by Coventry, Glasgow and Edinburgh who all had scores of 200.
Despite these overall scores, Cardiff came first for being a welcoming city, Newcastle topped the generosity list, and Coventry had the most search interest around friendships.
So even if you don't live in Plymouth, there are plenty of great places on this list of friendliest cities, proving we're still a kind-hearted nation.
When it came to gifting, Moonpig analysed what residents across the nation were choosing to buy for loved ones.
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Scotland loved gifting alcohol, whereas North-East residents preferred mugs for a good cup of tea.
North West loved party gifts whilst the East Midlands were more playful, opting for toys and games.
Wales loved beauty products, and London and the East of England preferred flowers and plants.
Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK loved chocolates, so it's clear we're a nation of chocoholics!
It’s clear that the UK is still full of friendly faces, whether you’re one of the locals or you’re taking a city break. That’s definitely something to be proud of, especially if you live in one of the UK's friendliest cities!