Patriotic Brits are increasingly fearful of showing their national pride in public for fear of abuse and ridicule, a study has found.
Patriotism is falling, with younger generations considering patriotism less important than ever before, many of those surveyed believe, with 72 per cent saying Brits are less patriotic than ever.
Of the 2,000 adults questioned, 79 per cent said they considered themselves patriotic in some way and almost 90 per cent agreed they are proud of where they were born.
However, 22 per cent feared they would be made to feel ashamed of their patriotic views if they displayed or aired them in public. Just 20 per cent felt they could fully display true feelings of their national pride during large events, when patriotic displays are encouraged.
Whilst respondents said this is the least patriotic decade, they hailed the 1940s as when patriotism was at its height, with the nation coming together to fight the Second World War and defeat fascism in Europe.
Casino entrepreneur Greg Tatton-Brown who commissioned the study said of the results: “In today’s political and cultural climate, in a divided Brexit Britain, expressing pride in your birth nation can feel like something of a social grey area.
“Our study has found, just ahead of St. George’s Day, that many of us are proud of our country, though feel it is generally only appropriate to express this pride at particular times.”
According to the survey, the occasion when Brits feel most comfortable showing their patriotic side is the football World Cup, followed by the Olympic Games, and Armistice Day.
In general, older Britons feel more patriotic than younger people, with 40 per cent of those aged 55 and over describing themselves as “very patriotic”, compared to just 18 per cent of those aged 18 to 24.
And a quarter of 18- to 24-year-olds believe patriotism does not really matter in today’s society, compared to 15 per cent of those over the age of 55.
Despite this, nearly half wish there were more national flags flying in their local town or city, but only 17 per cent would feel comfortable flying one in their own their garden or outside their home.
Mr. Tatton-Brown added: “British patriotism has something of an image crisis and each flying national flag is heavy with history and context which can be problematic.
“It is interesting to see from our findings Britons would feel more comfortable representing their nation during a sporting event than, say, a patron saints holiday, as perhaps the context of sporting rivalries and team support smooths over the harder edges of patriotism.”
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