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Metric Culprits |
Consumer
Surveys
When metric-only
education commenced in 1975, the government believed that the proportion of
people thinking in UK units would decline as increasing numbers of school
leavers replaced the previous generations. Thus, total metric conversion could
be achieved at a future point with minimum dispuption to the public. In
practice, this has not happened. The rejection of metric by the British
population has been indicated by countless public or consumer surveys and
polls:
| Year |
Survey |
Sample |
Against Metric / For Imperial |
For metric |
Question |
| 24 Feb 2006 |
Teletext |
1,300 |
96% |
4% |
Phone based poll: "Do you think road
signs should be changed from miles to kilometres?" |
| 24 Feb 2006 |
Manchester Evening News |
n/k (web poll) |
76% |
24% |
Web poll: "Should
the UK spend millions on taking our road signs metric?" |
| 24 Feb 2006 |
AOL News |
30,000 |
82.5% |
17.5% |
No further
details |
| 24 Feb 2006 |
This Morning TV |
n/k |
97% |
3% |
No further
details |
| 24 Feb 2006 |
Daily Express |
n/k |
95% |
5% |
No further
details |
| 24 Feb 2006 |
Metro (web poll) |
2993 |
70% |
30% |
"Would you back
British road signs switching from miles to kilometres?" |
| August 2002 |
Auto Express magazine |
n/k |
82% |
n/k |
No further
details |
| Feb 2002 |
Teletext (phone in) |
n/k |
61% |
39% |
"Court defeat of
the metric martyrs comes in the wake of Lord Howe calling for full
metrification in the UK. Do you think it's time to go fully
metric?" |
| Feb 2002 |
Carlton TV (phone in) |
10,000+ |
95% |
5% |
Phone-in poll,
asked viewers to express preference for either lb/oz or
kg/g. |
| April 2001 |
Evening Standard (web poll) |
n/k |
92% |
8% |
No further
details |
| March 2001 |
ICM Research |
1,000 |
74% |
26% |
A survey devoted to establishing public preferences for units used in
weather reports. |
| 23 Feb 2001 |
The Sun newpaper (web poll) |
n/k |
80% |
20% |
"Should we be allowed to keep imperial
measurements (pounds, ounces etc)?" |
| Jan 2001 |
ICM Research |
1,000 |
91% |
9% |
"On the
15th January, a greengrocer in Sunderland will appear in court charged with
weighing out fruit and vegetables in pounds and ounces, rather than in
EU-approved kilos and grams. Do you think he should be prosecuted?"
|
| Jan 2001 |
ITN (well poll) |
u/k |
68% |
u/k |
No further
details |
| Jun 2000 |
Tesco |
1,000 |
90% |
8% |
Internal survey of
shoppers |
| Jul 2000 |
HTV West (phone in) |
13,697 |
88% |
12% |
"Do you prefer the use of metric
measurements?" |
| July 2000 |
Good Morning TV (web poll) |
u/k |
85% |
13% |
"Do you prefer buying foods in pounds
and ounces?" |
| Jul 2000 |
Teletext (phone in) |
4,349 |
98% |
2% |
"Do you agree that the greengrocer in Sunderland should
be prosecuted for selling pounds and ounces?" |
| 2000 |
Teletext (phone in) |
7,229 |
97% |
3% |
No further details |
| Jan 2000 |
BMRB |
1,015 |
67% |
16% |
No further
details |
| Feb 1999 |
BMRB |
1,010 |
72% |
15% |
"Thinking about buying fresh foods, do you prefer to
think of weight in pounds and ounces or in kilograms and grams?" |
| Aug 1997 |
Trago Mills (in-store survey, Devon and
Cornwall) |
3,780 |
83% |
16% |
"Which units of measurement do you
prefer to use?" See Note 1 |
| Nov 1997 |
Research Services Ltd |
1,000 |
74% |
19% |
"Thinking about weights and measures, which kind of
measurement do you generally find most convenient for everyday purposes:
imperial measurements (such as feet and inches, pounds and pints) or metric
measurements (such as metres, kilograms and litres)?" See
Note 2 |
| September, 1995 |
NOP |
1,000 |
60% |
11% |
"Generally
speaking, do you find that you are: more comfortable using metric measures,
like kilograms metres and litres; more comfortable using imperial measures,
like pounds, yards and pints; equally comfortable with metric and imperial
measures?" |
| 1995 |
Gallup |
1,082 |
52% |
37% |
"Do you approve of
the decision to switch over to the Continental system, using metres instead of
yards and litres instead of pints?" See Note
3 |
| Historical: |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1975 |
Gallup |
u/k |
53% |
35% |
No further
details |
| 1965 |
Gallup |
u/k |
46% |
36% |
No further
details |
Note 1 Broken down, Trago Mills
customers said:
| pints |
83% |
|
litres |
15% |
| pounds |
82% |
|
kilograms |
16% |
| yards |
72% |
|
metres |
25% |
| inches |
75% |
|
centimetres |
23% |
| miles |
87% |
|
kilometres |
11% |
Note 2 RSL asked a second question: "On packaging for
food and drink and in publications such as cookery books and magazines, how do
you think weights and measures should be classified: pounds and pints only;
kilograms and litres only; or both systems"? The survey found 21% wanted pounds
and pints only, 7% wanted kilograms and litres only, and 70% wanted both
systems.
Note 3
Gallup also asked respondents, "Do you normally think in [imperial or
metric]...?" The results were:
| miles |
95% |
|
kilometres |
3% |
| yards |
69% |
|
metres |
26% |
| pounds |
87% |
|
kilos |
10% |
| pints |
87% |
|
litres |
10% |
| fahrenheit |
49% |
|
centigrade |
44% |
|