What it means to be British

 You may think it's a commitment to buying a round, the ability to chat at length about the weather or make a proper cup of tea. But when it comes to what makes people proud to be British there is a consensus across all ages, demographics and political groups and tea, pints and the weather don't get a look in.

Hard work, fair play and community are the values that voters - no matter which political party, age group, social class or region they come from - instinctively believe capture what it means to be British, according to a large-scale study of values by the research firm Public First.

The Food Queue
Joseph Edward Southall (1861-1944)
Photo Credit Gallery Oldham [CC BY-NC-ND] 

"When you talk to people across Britain it's clear they have a shared set of values - if fairness is Britain's moral compass, hard work is its character, and community the thing that binds us," said Olivia Walsham, the director of social policy at Public First...

In the study, which polled 6,000 adults and spoke to three hundred people in focus groups, participants were asked to choose which values they thought were the most important - forcing them to make trade offs.

Working hard topped the list of qualities the public associated with British people, with 70% describing hard work as a British value. Community was also key with 80% of people agreeing Britain is at its best when neighbours look out for one another. Contributing to society boosted positive views: 62% of those who had volunteered in the last month said they were optimistic about their local area's future, compared with 25% of those who had never volunteered.

Unsurprisingly for a people that can't pass a queue without joining it, the notion of "fairness" or waiting one's turn was the clearest shared value. Asked for examples of what described British life at its best, citizens referenced queuing, the NHS, [National Health Service] fair play, taking turns, treating people equally and the expectation that everyone should play by the rules.

The report exposes deep seated division, especially on immigration. Half of respondents said immigration had had a negative impact on the UK, while only one fifth said diversity of people and cultures made them proud to live in the UK...

Trevor Pears, the chair of the Pears Foundation which funded the report said people were desperate for initiatives such as the Big Help Out project, which draw millions of volunteers. "We need many more opportunities for people to come together, help one another and strengthen the communities they're part of," he said.

(Alexandra Topping, The Guardian, 2026)

                                       Tips for visitors to the UK

At the bar in a pub there is no official queue or line but you work out that if there are three people already at the bar then you will be the fourth to be served. Waving your hands or a debit card in the air to get the attention of the barman would definitely mark you out as a foreigner.

The same at a bus stop. If there is no line you still make a mental note of who was there before you. Often, ladies, particularly those with a child in a pram, will be told to get on before anyone else. When you get off the bus it is very common to thank the driver.

On the escalator underground stand to the right so that people in a rush can pass you easily on the left. Offer your seat for elderly, pregnant or disabled passengers. Let people off the  train before trying to get on.

When a driver stops for you at a crossing be courteous and acknowledge this by saying a silent thank you or by raising your hand.  

 

Arenig, North Wales
James Dickson Innes (1887-1914)
Photo Credit: Tate [CC BY-NC-ND]

Baked beans, sarcasm, the lochs of Scotland and Sir David Attenborough. Each have been singled out as unmistakably British institutions that make people proud amid the political scandals and toxic controversies that can sometimes seem overwhelming.

The glimmers of light were identified as the men's style magazine GQ gathered 15 celebrities - including the sportsmen Anthony Joshua and Ian Wright and the actors Brian Cox and Andrew Garfield - for a "sweet, nostalgic, silly, sublime and absurd" What's So Great About Britain special September issue.

The heavyweight boxer Joshua said Britain should be as proud as other nations of its storied history. "We conquered the world," he said. "You come to Greece and they're like, 'Alexander the Great!' Be proud, innit? It's unbelievable, The whole bloody world speaks English or wants to learn English."

Joshua, 35, declared that there is "nothing for Britons to be embarrassed about as he identified David Lloyd health clubs and The Badger pub in Watford as the the things he missed most when abroad.

Wright, the former England and Arsenal striker agreed that he did not consider Britain to be unequal. "It's still very tough - it's not as fair as I'm sure Britain would like to be - but I think that a lot has changed with respect to how people are treated," he said. Wright, 61, said he considered Dame Emma Thompson - who also appears in the GQ edition - to be a national treasure, adding that Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton "need to get more love."

Attenborough was a national treasure for Jade Thirwall of the girl band Little Mix, who added: "Protect him at all costs." 

Ambika Mod, 29, who starred in the Netflix series One Day, proclaimed baked beans the best British food while Cox, 79, declared a cooked breakfast, with two slices of black pudding, "unbeatable."

The Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield, 42, who holds British and American citizenship, said he missed the Tube and nationalised healthcare when he left. He proclaimed the quality of British restaurants, the accent making foreigners think we are smarter than we are and "epic Arthurian" landscapes, in the Lake District, Wales, the lochs in Scotland and the Jurassic Coast.

(Alex Farber, The Times, 2025)

Most Brits are polite, courteous and quite reserved with strangers. We usually avoid boasting and don't really like drawing attention to ourselves. We say sorry very frequently. We queue, usually patiently. We like irony, sarcasm, understatement, self-deprecation and banter. Many Brits  obsess over tea. We definitely love the pub. Football, rugby and cricket are very popular sports. The countryside and public footpaths are important for many people. As is the NHS, (National Health Service) our gun laws and the safety of our plugs. We have plenty of eccentric pastimes like the Stone Skimming Championships, World Pea Throwing Championships and World Snail Racing. Many people are proud of our multi-faith democracy. The present King was sworn in at a ceremony with a Hindu prime minister, his Indian wife, a Buddhist home secretary and a Muslim mayor of London.  

Historically we have produced writers such as William Shakespeare, John Milton, Charles Dickens, Dylan Thomas, Agatha Christie, Roald Dahl and J K Rowling.  

 Science: Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Alan Turing, Stephen Hawking. 

Medicine: Alexander Fleming (Penicillin) and Edward Jenner (Vaccine)

Inventors:  Alexander Graham Bell (Telephone) James Watt, (Steam Engine) John Logie Baird, (TV) Tim Berners Lee (World Wide Web)

Mechanical and civil engineering: Isambard Kingdom Brunel. 

Artists: William Turner, David Hockney

Acting: Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson

Singers: The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Adele, Queen 

Media: BBC and its World Service.