ISSUES
: Body Confidence
Chapter 1: Body Image
5
Over a third of Brits are unhappy with
their bodies
A
s part of a global study from
YouGov, it has been revealed
that over a third of people in
the UK are unhappy with their own
weight and body image, although
those in the oldest age group are by
far the happiest.
The study captured the body image
happiness of people in 25 countries
around the world. In Britain, over a
third (37%) said they were either not
very happy or not happy at all with
their body image and weight. 59%
said they were happy.
There is a gender split. Woman are
far more likely to be unhappy with
their body image. Over four in ten
(44%) are not happy, compared to
53% who are. Men seem to be a little
bit more comfortable in their own
skin – 66% are happy compared to
31% that are not.
Does loving your body begin at 60?
Certainly the sexagenarians in our
poll liked their bodies more than
other age groups. Almost seven in ten
(68%) of 60+ are happy, compared to
52% of 25–39-year-olds.
What about the rest of the
world?
While a fair number of people are
unhappy with their bodies in the UK,
people are more positive elsewhere.
Of the 25 countries surveyed,
Indonesians are the most positive
about their body image overall, with
more than three quarters (78%)
claiming they are happy with their
body weight and shape. Residents
from Saudi Arabia (72%), Oman
(70%) and Qatar (70%) are the next
happiest with their body image
overall.
However, those in Hong Kong are
the least happy, and it is the only
country where net happiness is
below half (49%).
Celebrity culture
So what is the cause of so many
people being unhappy with their
weight? According to our global
respondents, celebrity culture is
one of the areas of blame. In the
UK, almost three quarters (74%) say
that celebrity culture has a negative
impact on women’s perception of
their bodies, while the same number
say it affects young people in the
same way. Overall, in 17 of the 25
countries surveyed more than half
of responders think that celebrity
culture has a negative impact on
young people.
The countries surveyed in the
Middle East and Asia Pacific have a
more positive view of the impact of
celebrity culture on young people.
Around a third in the UAE (34%) and
Qatar (31%) think celebrity culture
can have a positive effect, along
with 41% in mainland China and
over one in three (34%) in Malaysia
and Thailand.
21 July 2015
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The above information is
reprinted with kind permission
from YouGov. Please visit
for further
information.
© 2000–2016 YouGov plc
Global body image study
In general, how happy, if at all, would you say you are regarding your own weight and body image?
Happy
Unhappy
Source: Over a third of Brits are unhappy with their bodies, YouGov, 21 July 2015
Indonesia Saudi Arabia Qatar
Egypt
Australia
UK
Germany
US
Hong Kong
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
78%
21%
72%
25%
70%
27%
68%
30%
63%
61%
60%
57%
49%
36%
37%
37%
37%
50%
