| Year |
Survey |
Sample |
Against
Metric / For Imperial |
For
metric |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Feb
2002 |
Teletext |
n/k |
61% |
39% |
| Feb
2002 |
Carlton
TV |
10,000+ |
95% |
5% |
| April
2001 |
Evening
Standard |
n/k |
92% |
8% |
| March
2001 |
ICM
Research |
1,000 |
74% |
26% |
| Feb
2001 |
The
Sun |
n/k |
80% |
20% |
| Jan
2001 |
ICM
Research |
1,000 |
91% |
9% |
| Jan
2001 |
ITN |
u/k |
68% |
u/k |
| Jun
2000 |
Tesco |
1,000 |
90% |
8% |
| Jul
2000 |
HTV
West |
13,697 |
88% |
12% |
| 2000 |
GMTV |
u/k |
85% |
13% |
| Jul
2000 |
Teletext |
4,349 |
98% |
2% |
| 2000 |
Teletext |
7,229 |
97% |
3% |
| 2000 |
BMRB |
1,015 |
67% |
16% |
| 1999 |
BMRB |
1,010 |
72% |
15% |
| 1998 |
Trago
Mills |
3,780 |
83% |
16% |
| 1997 |
RSL |
1,000 |
74% |
19% |
| 1995 |
NOP |
1,000 |
60% |
11% |
| 1995 |
Gallup |
1,082 |
52% |
37% |
| Historical: |
|
|
|
|
| 1975 |
Gallup |
u/k |
53% |
35% |
| 1965 |
Gallup |
u/k |
46% |
36% |
Surveys in
Detail
BBC online
poll 18/2/02: "Traders lose High Court battle to
sell in pounds and ounces. Should we be forced to go
metric?"
Metro Online poll 18/2/02: "Five market traders have lost their high
court battle to allow them to sell their fruit and veg in imperial measures.
Do you agree with the standardisation of metric measurements throughout the
EU?"
Teletext Phone/email based poll on the day of the Feb 18th Appeal
verdict: "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?"
Carlton TV (Plymouth) Phone-in poll, asked viewers to express preference for either
lb/oz or kg/g.
Evening Standard An internet poll during mid-April.
ICM Research
A survey devoted to establishing public preferences for
units used in weather reports.
The Sun
Ran a mock "general election" via their internet site on or around
February 23rd. One of the questions was, "Should we be allowed to keep
imperial measurements (pounds, ounces etc.)?" The result was: yes 80.3%, no
19.7%.
ICM Research Asked respondents, "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?" The survey was conducted by ICM Research among one
thousand people over the telephone between 15-17 December
2000.
ITN Conducted a poll through the internet, January
2001.
Tesco Conducted a survey of its shoppers around June
2000.
HTV
West A phone-in poll for viewers, conducted by HTV's Points West TV
programme on July 31st 2000. Asked, "Do you prefer the use of metric
measurements?"
GMTV Conducted July 19th-24th 2000 by Good Morning
Television (ITV) through their internet site. Asked, "Do you prefer buying
foods in pounds and ounces?"
Teletext Asked television viewers as part of a phone-in
poll during early July 2000, "Do you agree that the greengrocer in Sunderland
should be prosecuted for selling pounds and ounces?"
Teletext A phone-in poll.
BMRB
Carried out between 14th and 16th January 2000, based on a representative
sample.
BMRB
Asked a nationally representative sample of people, aged 16 and over, between
26th and 28th February 1999, "Thinking about buying fresh foods, do you prefer
to think of weight in pounds and ounces or in kilograms and grams?" Broken
down by gender, the result was:
|
Imperial |
Metric |
| Male |
60% |
22% |
| Female |
83% |
8% |
Trago
Mills Retail chain Trago Mills conducted a survey during August 23-30th
1997 among 3,780 customers at stores in Devon and Cornwall. Asked customers,
"Which units of measurement do you prefer to use?" Broken down, customers
said:
| pints |
83% |
|
litres |
15% |
| pounds |
82% |
|
kilograms |
16% |
| yards |
72% |
|
metres |
25% |
| inches |
75% |
|
centimetres |
23% |
| miles |
87% |
|
kilometres |
11% |
Research Services
Ltd Conducted survey in November 1997 for advertising
agency Abbott Mead Vickers. Asked, "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)?"
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.
NOP Conducted in September 1995 among a sample of 1,000, NOP asked,
"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?". NOP also asked, "Which is heavier, 1lb or 500g?"; 55% did
not know or answered incorrectly.
Gallup (1995)"Do you approve of the decision to switch over to the
Continental system, using metres instead of yards and litres instead of
pints?"
Gallup
also asked respondents, "Do you normally think in [imperial or metric]...?"
The results were as follows:
| miles |
95% |
|
kilometres |
3% |
| yards |
69% |
|
metres |
26% |
| pounds |
87% |
|
kilos |
10% |
| pints |
87% |
|
litres |
10% |
| fahrenheit |
49% |
|
centigrade |
44% |
