Stereotypes of the British

Both historically and in the present day, the British have often been associated with good manners by many people around the world,[3] similar to Canadians.[4]

British people are well known for their use of sarcasm and irony.[5] Some of the most highly-regarded television comedies, such as Fawlty Towers and Mr. Bean, are British.[6]

Football originated and is very popular in the United Kingdom.[7][8]

Tea is seen as a key part of British culture.[9] Originally introducted as a luxury product in the 17th century, cheap imports from colonial India allowed its consumption to significantly increase during the second half of the 19th century.[10] Today it remains a massively popular beverage. One survey of British adults from 2017 found that almost three quarters of responders who drank tea daily drank on average two or more cups a day.[11] Whilst, research from a similar time showed that the UK had the twelfth largest per capita tea consumption in the world.[12] Though other hot drinks such as coffee are also very popular.[13]

During the age of empire, many British people were seen as bigoted.[14] Today, leading British politicians and major political parties are often accused of being racist.[15] Research suggests that the levels of racism and bigotry in the United Kingdom are fairly average compared to other parts of Western Europe though there was concern about an increase in the number of hate crimes in the aftermath of the Brexit vote in 2016.[16][17][18]

According to a popular stereotype, weather in the United Kingdom is often seen as being poor,[1] mostly consisting of either heavy rain or fog.[19] In reality, British weather is generally fairly mild but changeable. [20] Though, in recent years, climate change has caused the UK's weather to become more extreme with incidents such as heatwaves, heavy snow and flooding occurring more frequently.[21]

Americans often joke about the British having bad or even bucked teeth, however, this is mostly untrue.[2]

Jokes are often told about British food being either poor in quality or inedible. Though historically British cuisine was generally fairly bland since around the post-WW2 period onwards globalisation and immigration have caused it to become significantly more diverse.[2][22]

There is a common stereotype that the British are only able to speak English. This stereotype has some level of truth to it as, like in many English-speaking countries, levels of bilingualism are relatively low.[23][24][25][26][27] Additionally, the number of people who speak a language other than English as their first language is reasonably low, especially among those who were born in the UK (even among those with immediate immigrant ancestry).[28] However, most British children receive at least a few years of compulsory lessons in foreign languages at school. Traditionally, this was during the first years of their secondary education.[29] Though, in recent years, the teaching of foreign languages at an earlier age has been viewed as increasingly important.[30][31][32][33]