The UK has no intention of giving up its partying habits, with 80 per cent of party-goers agreeing that you don’t need a champagne budget to throw a good party, according to a new report from Yell.com - the online service from Yellow Pages.
Entitled ‘Party Pieces’ the in-depth report reveals that 85 per cent of the nation organises an average of three parties and attends eleven in a year and it doesn’t look like we’re going to stop at any point in the near future.
The report has been produced in conjunction with trends forecaster Future Foundation and looks at the current UK ‘partyscape’. It examines the habits and behaviours of UK party-goers, identifies party profile types and uncovers the huge range of party goods and services people are currently searching for online.
And while we’re happy to throw a party on a lemonade budget, party-goers are still spending on average more than £1,000 every year enjoying a social gathering. The biggest injection of cash is given to romance-related celebrations. Guests attending wedding, hen or stag, engagement or anniversary parties each spend more than £100 per party.
Romantic celebrations aside, more than two-thirds of party-goers (69 per cent) agree that you don’t need an excuse to throw a party. Savvy party planners are increasingly using sites such as Yell.com to source a range of perfect or unique party solutions, with three-quarters (73 per cent) of party-goers who have grown up with the internet (18-24 year olds) agreeing that the internet makes party planning easier, alongside more than two-fifths of 55-60 year old party-goers. (42 per cent).
The report also revealed that the new party generation - more than half (52 per cent) of 18-24 year old party-goers say they get invited to more parties today thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook, and around a third (35 per cent) often cram in more than one party in the same evening
The biggest spending party guests are the 55-60 year old age group, spending on average £20 more than other age groups on children’s parties and seasonal parties
Clodagh Ward, consumer development director at Yell, said: "As we approach the Christmas party season, we were keen to understand the current UK ‘partyscape’ and how technology is impacting our social lives. We believed people were using Yell.com and Yell.com mobile more as a quick and easy way to plan their celebrations and find their way to other people’s parties, and the research supports this.
"Despite the current financial climate, the UK’s desire to party continues unabated. Naturally, people are really looking to get more ‘bang for their buck’ and so are researching parties thoroughly and going for variety, rather than spending over the odds."