NO DISCIPLINE PLEASE, WE'RE BRITISH!

A quarter of parents are reluctant to discipline their children because they are worried it might upset them. 30% admit to being "pushover". Only one in three has ever sent a child to bed early. 55% say they are "more a friend than a parent".

The Cadet Forces/ Daily Telegraph

BRITAINS'S CONFUSED KIDS!

In a multiple-choice poll of 2000 children, 7% identified Adolf Hitler as a German football coach; 5% thought the Holocaust was a victory celebration; 15% said Auschwitz was a WWII theme park; 21% identified Goebbels as a "well-known Jew who wrote a diary in an attic". 70% wanted to learn more about the war.

The Daily Telegraph

BRITS ARE JUST TOO TIRED!

64% of Britons say they are always too tired to play with their children. 73% say that they are regularly too tired at the end of the day to have sex. A third wouldn't run to catch a bus and 15% say they would rather watch a TV show they didn't like than get up off the sofa to change the channel.

Nuffield Health/ Guardian

WHY DON'T CHILDREN READ?

20% of British children aged 7-15 never pick up a book outside school. 24% do not believe there is any link between reading well and succeeding in later life.

National Literacy Trust/ Daily Mail

GRANDPARENTS LOSE TOUCH

42% of grandparents whose children have divorced lose all contact with their grandchildren.

Family Matters/ The Times

SQUARE EYED CHILDREN

79% of British children have a TV in their bedroom 63% watch in bed before going to sleep. 58% watch TV as they eat their evening meal.

Childwise/The Guardian

IT'S A RIP-OFF!

80% of Britons think they are being ripped off by gas and electricity companies. 76% feel the same way about rail firms, 74% about petrol companies, and 62% about local government.

YouGov/Sunday Times

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

42% of British adults do not know that food with a high fat or sugar content can be bad for you and should only be eaten occasionally.

Food Standards Agency

SCARY STUFF

40% of British motorists admit to having dozed off at the wheel while driving. Of those, 55% have done so more than once.

Whatcar

BRITISH JUNK

Four million Britons suffer from malnutrition – large due to a diet of junk food. There has been a 44% increase in hospital cases of malnutrition since 2002.

The Independent on Sunday

NHS JUNK

Almost two NHS patients per week leave hospital after an operation with surgical instruments accidentally left inside them.

Daily Mail

TESTING ON ANIMALS

70% of Britons believe it is acceptable to test new medicines on animals – the highest proportion ever. 77% say that animal rights protesters who resort to tactics such as vandalising property or making death threats should be treated as "terrorists".

YouGov/ The Daily Telegraph

STILL NOT FAMOUS?

Among twenty-somethings, the biggest regrets are not buying a priority sooner (77%), the way they voted at the last general election (45%) and not being famous.

UKTV Gold/ Daily Mail

BRITAIN IS WORLD'S FAVOURITE

Britain has been voted the world's favourite country. A survey of 26,000 people in 35 different countries found that Britain was ranked highest in a range of categories, from sport and culture to politeness.

The French, on the other hand, were named the rudest people in the world, and the Americans the most ignorant.

The poll, by Anholt Nation Brands Index, revealed that British Citizens are considered the most well-educated – though also, sadly, the most boring.

GOING GREEN

63% of Britons would approve of a "green tax" on goods and services that damage the environment. 25% use bikes instead of cars and 24% have decided against a holiday that involves flying.

ICM/ The Guardian

INTERNET GAMBLING

93% of Britons with web access have placed at least one internet bet. The average gambler spends £10 to £20 per week on gambling sites. 50% only began gambling in the past six months.

Virgin Money/ Daily Mirror

NHS NURSES

Almost a third of NHS nurses say they are planning to quit their jobs in the next two years. 70% think other types of work would provide them with more income for less effort.

Royal College of Nursing/ Daily Mail

BOOKS BETTER THAN SEX

70% of women would rather spend a spare 20 minutes with a good book than have sex, watch TV, cook, sleep or eat. Their favourite novels are thrillers, contemporary fiction and crime, with science fiction and romance their least favourite. Only 40% like a happy ending.

Woman & Home Magazine

REAL MEN DO CRY

Modern men are just as prone to tears as women. 19% of both sexes have cried in the past year. Of the men, 56% said it was because of relationship problems, 10% cited work stress and 23% said love songs set them off.

UKShallot.com/ Daily Mail