BRITS CARED MORE ABOUT DANCING AND DRAGONS THAN BREXIT IN 2017
7% MORE STRICTLY COME DANCING-RELATED SEARCHES THAN BREXIT
Annual search results show how Brits kept calm and carried on • 17% more Strictly Come Dancing-related searches than Brexit; 24% more Game of Thrones-related searches than Brexit • 78% more searches for “BBC weather” than all those related to Trump
Separation from the European Union and perceived nuclear threats may have dominated headlines in 2017, however Brits appear to have been more interested in the outcome of their favourite television programmes, according to new data from Bing.com.
Microsoft’s search engine analysed some of the most popular terms and related queries in 2017 in an effort to understand where people’s interests and concerns lay. The results show that there were 17% more Strictly Come Dancing-related searches than those linked to Brexit. Game of Thrones-related searches were even higher – there were 24% more queries related to the fantasy show than Brexit.
There were also twice as many searches for “fidget spinner” than “Brexit”. “We have well and truly observed the repercussions of last year’s elections and events. In some ways the resulting headlines made this year feel hyper-real, but the data does show that in 2017 we have kept calm and carried on,” said Kevin Stagg, Head of Marketing at Bing.
Celebrities 2017: Kim still the queen of the internet While Britain – and the world – recently celebrated a royal engagement, Kim Kardashian proved once again that she is the queen of the internet, with more searches than most other celebrities. However it will remain to be seen whether Kim Kardashian’s 43% lead on Meghan Markle in 2017 can be maintained next year as the Suits star prepares to wed Prince Harry. The Kardashian was also searched for almost four times the amount as her North Korean namesake – Kim Jong-Un.
Royal watch 2017: Anniversary rekindles interest
Interest in the Royal family remained as strong as ever with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement, Kate Middleton announcing her third pregnancy and The Queen and Prince Philip celebrating 70 years of marriage. However, one of the year’s biggest royal events was “Princess Diana 20th anniversary”, which far exceeded most other searches in the category.
Politics 2017: More interest in the elements than the President
For every search related to Trump there were six related to the weather in the UK, suggesting Brits were more concerned about rain and sunshine than the US President’s comments or actions. Backing this is the fact that there were 78% more searches for “BBC weather” than all searches related to Trump in 2017.
For those seeking to literally escape the year’s political storms with a holiday, Tenerife and Benidorm received the most weather-related searches.
Published: by Radio NewsHub