London: Britons waste millions of pounds on ill-fitting footwear, according to a new survey by YouGov.
The survey commissioned by sassy shoe designer and manufacturer Hotter Shoes questioned the public on their critical shoe choices:
1.How many pairs of shoes do you own that you have only worn once because they were uncomfortable the first time you wore them?
* 67% (two thirds) of men have no shoes in their wardrobe that are uncomfortable
* 75 % (three in four) women have more than one pair of shoes in their wardrobe which they have only worn once because they were uncomfortable first time they wore them, with 3% owning more than 8 pairs of uncomfortable shoes
* 55% (more than half of the UK¡¦s women) have more than 2 pairs of shoes in their wardrobe they¡¦ve only worn once because they were uncomfortable the first time they wore then
* Northern Ireland wastes the most on uncomfortable shoes with 78% having one or more pairs of shoes in their wardrobe which they¡¦ve never been able to wear – compared to the Scotland at 49%
* However 5% of population in Scotland has more than 8 pairs of shoes in their wardrobe they can¡¦t wear because they are uncomfortable
2. How many pairs of shoes do you take on a summer holiday?
* 82% of women take up to 4 pairs on their summer holidays
* 50% men take one or two pairs of shoes on holiday compared with 26% of women
* 61% women take up to three pairs of shoes on holiday
* 33% women pack four or more pairs of shoes for a holiday
* 17% people over 55 take more than 4 pairs of shoes on holiday
* 37% of 18-24 year olds take more than 4 pairs of shoes
3. Approximately how old are the oldest pair of shoes you own?
* 22% of over 45 year olds have a pair of shoe more than 10 years old
* 15% of men and 16% or women have a pair of shoe more than 10 years old
* 42% of 18-24 year olds oldest shoes are less than 2 years old – double the national average (21%)
* 15% of over 45 year olds have a pair of shoe more than 16 years old
* 8 % of over 45 year olds have a pair of shoes more than 20 years old
4. What is most important factor to you when buying shoes?
* 64% of population select shoes as comfort as most important factor (15% price, 11% fashion)
* This first, second and third selection is reflected over all age except 18 to 24 year olds who select fashion first (36%), followed by comfort (33%) and price (17%).
* Biggest advocates of comfort regionally are wales (75%)
* Biggest advocates of selection by price is Northern Ireland at 23% (but still second to comfort at 60%)
5.I am actively seeking out products which are made in Britain to support the UK economy.
Generally in this category people neither agree nor disagree however:
* One in three (32%) of people over 55 believe shoppers should seek out products which are made in Britain to support the UK economy
* Only one in four people are actively seeking products made in Britain to support the UK economy
* Three in four people are not concerned about seeking products made in Britain to support the UK economy ¡V with one in four actively disagreeing that shoppers should change their buying habits.
* 81% of 18-24 year olds are not concerned with seeking products made in Brtain to support the UK economy ¡V with 42% actively disagreeing that shoppers should change their buying habits.
* People in London are most likely to disagree that shoppers should change their habits to buy British(32%), whereas people in Wales are the most patriotic shoppers with one in three (34%) agreeing that people should buy British to support the UK economy.
6.During the credit crunch I would rather give up a night each month that skip on buying new shoes.
* 17% of women would rather buy a new pair of shoes than blow their money on a night out
