- Over two-thirds (70%) of the nation admit being stressed with nearly one in ten (9%) saying they are 'very' stressed
- Over a third (34%) take their stress out most on their partner and over a quarter (28%) on ourselves
- Transport delays (36%), workload (33%), and bills (25%) stress us out most, closely followed by queuing (23%), people listening to loud music (21%) and people coughing without covering their mouth (20%)
- Katie Hopkins (20%) is one of the celebrities who annoy us most
- Pets relax us more than friends, bubble baths, food and movies
To mark National Battery Day on Saturday 18th February, national breakdown cover provider Green Flag has released research revealing what runs Brits’ batteries down and leaves them feeling stressed.
The report reveals that over two-thirds of the nation (70%) is stressed, with nearly one in ten (9%) admitting to being very stressed.
| What stresses us out the most | |
| Quality | Percentage |
| Bills | 25% |
| Queues | 23% |
| People coughing without covering their mouth | 20% |
| Bank balance | 19% |
| Traffic | 19% |
| Slow walkers | 18% |
| People talking overly loud | 13% |
| Other people's children | 11% |
| Having low phone charge/ phone battery dying | 10% |
| Smelly Colleagues | 8% |
When it comes to what stresses Brits the most in general, it's no surprise that in budget-conscious Britain, bills stress nearly a quarter (25%) of us, with the regions most affected by bill worries including Plymouth (49%), Brighton (43%) and Yorkshire (38%).
Other causes of stress for Brits include queues (23%), people coughing without covering their mouth (20%), traffic (19%), slow walkers, (18%) and their phones ‘dying’ (10%). As a mobile-obsessed nation, Brits also get peeved at people who don't respond to them – with almost one in ten (8%) claiming that they get most frustrated by people who don't reply to calls or texts.
At home, things that stress people most include washing up being left in the sink (18%), noisy neighbours (17%), running out of toilet roll (10%) and missing their favourite TV show (5%).
When at work, Brits are most stressed by workload and deadlines (32% respectively), clients (16%) and temperature (14%). Other workplace stressors include people gossiping (13%), messy colleagues (11%), not getting a full lunch-break (10%) and hearing about other people's relationships and problems (10%).
When travelling by car and public transport, things that stress them out most include delays and cancellations (26%), traffic and getting lost (28%), breaking down (21%) and needing the toilet (13%).
Unsurprisingly, work and school commitments have meant that Monday is the most stressful day of the week for 18% of them, but more so for men than women with 22% finding themselves most stressed on Mondays compared to 13% respectively. Surprisingly, Friday is the second most stressful day, followed by Wednesday.
| Which day of the week we get most stressed | |
| There isn't a particular day of the week where I am most stressed | 60% |
| Monday | 18% |
| Friday | 5% |
| Wednesday | 4% |
| Thursday | 4% |
| Tuesday | 4% |
| Sunday | 3% |
| Saturday | 2% |
| Which time of the day we get stressed | |
| Quality | Percentage |
| Morning | 30% |
| Afternoon | 25% |
| N/A I am never stressed | 24% |
| Evening | 20% |
Partners are the unfortunate targets of stress with over a third of us (34%) admitting we take stress out on them most, followed closely by on ourselves (28%).
| Who we take our stress out on | |
| Quality | Percentage |
| Partner | 34% |
| Myself | 28% |
| I do not take my stress out on anyone | 426 |
| Mum | 10% |
| Other family members | 9% |
| Friends | 5% |
| Dad | 5% |
| Work colleagues | 4% |
| Strangers | 3% |
When it comes to celebrity culture, Katie Hopkins (20%) tops the list of celebrities that stress Brits out. Hopkins is closely followed by Kim Kardashian (8%), Gemma Collins (7%) and Piers Morgan (5%).
Those getting wound up by people in the public eye can use these tips to de-stress - sleep was found to be the biggest de-stressor for 35% of Brits, followed by music (20%), alcohol (19%) and sex (19%). Pets (13%) beat bubble baths (12%), food (12%), movies (10%) and even shopping (10%) as a de-stressor.
| What de stresses us | |
| Quality | Percentage |
| Sleep | 35% |
| Music | 19% |
| Alcohol | 19% |
| Sex | 19% |
| Exercise | 19% |
| Family | 17% |
| Pets | 13% |
| Friends | 13% |
| Bubble baths | 12% |
| Food | 12% |
| Movies | 10% |
| Going shopping | 10% |
| Having a massage / spa day | 56% |
Nick Reid, head of transformation at Green Flag, commented: "As the experts in repairing faulty car batteries, we were really interested to see what runs the nation's batteries flat – and particularly how we could fix them."
"With sleep being the top cure for stressed out Brits, we recommend everyone gets a good night's sleep over the weekend."
Green Flag expects over 2,800 flat battery related breakdowns this National Battery Day.
For advice on how to check for a flat battery, visit http://blog.greenflag.com/2014/check-flat-battery/
Headline data includes:
-ENDS-
For further information please contact the Green Flag press office at Frank PR:
0207 693 6999/ greenflag@frankpr.it
Notes to Editors:
With over 40 years experience, Green Flag provides customers with breakdown cover 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Customers have access to a network of breakdown operators across the UK and mainland Europe (Euro Plus cover required).
Green Flag Motoring Assistance is underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Green Flag and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.
Customers can find out more about Green Flag products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 1557, connecting via the Green Flag Rescue Me Application, or visiting www.greenflag.com
*Consumer research conducted by Censuswide, on 2,000 respondents, February 2016
**Breakdown figures are based Green Flag internal data and are calculated incorporating Green Flag's market share to determine callouts at industry level
Notes to editors:
- We are the UK's only diversified insurer and we operate in the UK, Ireland and Canada. We also have international investments in India and China.
- We help our 25.3 million customers make the most out of life, plan for the future, and have the confidence that if things go wrong we’ll be there to put it right.
- We have been taking care of people for more than 325 years, in line with our purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’. In 2025, we paid £31.9 billion in claims and benefits to our customers.
- Aviva is a Living Wage, Living Pension and Living Hours employer and provides market-leading benefits for our people, including flexible working, paid carers leave and equal parental leave. Find out more at www.aviva.com/about-us/our-people/
- As at 30 June 2026, total Group assets under management at Aviva Group were £479 billion and our estimated Solvency II shareholder capital surplus was £6.8 billion. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE 100 index.
- For more details on what we do, our business and how we help our customers, visit www.aviva.com/about-us
- The Aviva newsroom at www.aviva.com/newsroom includes links to our spokespeople images, podcasts, research reports and our news release archive. Sign up to get the latest news from Aviva by email.
- You can follow us on:
- X: www.x.com/avivaplc
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/aviva-plc
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/avivaplc/
- For the latest corporate films from around our business, subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/aviva
