Most people feel they no longer have a ‘local’, according to new YouGov survey

The majority of adults in the UK said there was no pub at the heart of their community (63%) and no pub they would call their ‘local’ (57%). The results, which also show that 38% feel they do have a ‘local’ and 5% are not sure, are uniform across gender, age and region, according to a recent poll conducted by YouGov.

Closing down​

According to Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), 26 pubs now close across Britain every week, and most people who took the poll (53%) said this decline is a bad thing, while 13% said they are pleased.

A significant number (40%) think pubs should run more events for the local community.

Social occasions​

Restaurants are the most popular venue to meet people, with 35% saying they go there most often to socialise. However, pubs are the second venue of choice (30%), more popular than cafes (7%), bars (4%) and nightclubs (2%).

The British public’s favourite type of pub is a “country pub” (43%), with a cosy, quiet and countryside setting, followed closely by a “traditional pub” (38%), with no frills, traditional décor and a local crowd – also the most popular establishment among 18-24 year olds.

A small number (15%) say they prefer chain pubs – modern, inexpensive beer and no frills – although they are more popular among the young (26%). The same number favour gastropubs. Sports pubs (7%) and “trendy pubs” (6%) – with craft beers, live music and a young crowd - came out as the least popular.

Pub visits​

It also seems that people are visiting pubs less often than they used to, with the majority (22%) saying they only go to the pub “several times a year”, while 16% visit pubs “a few times a month”, 15% go “around once a month”, 14% go “once a year or less” and 13% go “around once a week”. Only 5% said they visit a pub several times a week and 11% say they never go to the pub. No one said they go to a pub every day.

The figures are based on a poll carried out by 1856 adults from the UK.