Who will be the champions?

This Saturday it is the final of the Champions League between FC Bayern and Chelsea in Munich. mingle Trend asked the UK panel, who they think will holding up the cup in triumph on Saturday evening?

It is a close call; 27% of fans of the European cup say that Chelsea will conquer and 23% are backing FC Bayern. Men are obviously less decided than women on who to place their bets on the winner.

The Brits with a lower level of income (31%) are more likely to envisage Chelsea winning the final. However, the Northern Irish are convinced(44%) that the triumphant team on Saturday night will be FC Bayern Munich.

May the best team win

The right to know vs. the right to anonymity

It is estimated that 7% of babies born in the UK are registered without a father’s name on their birth certificate. A new law currently being debated would make the inclusion of the name of biological father on a baby’s birth certificate obligatory. What do the Brits think?

Just over half of the UK population (53%) says that it should be a legal requirement for the father’s name to be included on the birth certificate. Men (59%) are considerably keener to see a change in the law than women (48%); even without the father’s permission. Nearly a quarter of women (23%) do not want to see measures implemented which would force a mother to register the father after the birth of their child.

35% of 16-19 years state that the father’s name should only be included with the explicit permission of the father. However, the trend is really for the father to only be named even without his acquiescence. The Northern Irish (65%) are the biggest advocates of a change in law without any respect for the wishes of would-be absent fathers.

Opponents of a new regulation are no doubt concerned about the safety of the mothers, but what about the rights of the child? What do you think?

Are the coaches stealing the limelight from The Voice contestants?

As Britain’s Got Talent came to an end on Saturday night, The Voice is starting to pick up pace with the elimination of more contestants. But both shows have not only been about the “normal” people taking part; they have also provided a stage for the coaches/judges. mingle Trend recently revealed that David Walliams was the most popular judge on BGT. What about The Voice coaches? Who do the Brits like the most?

Sir Tom Jones has a slight advantage over the other coaches (17%), but both will.i.am (14%) and Jessie J (12%) are hot on his heels. Danny is the least favourite (7%), but as he was probably the least well-known before the series, it is hardly surprising. However, the singer-songwriter from The Script is definitely more popular among women (10%) than men (4%).

Jessie J is a clear favourite for the youngest participants (37%), as well as Danny O´ Donoghue (18%). will.i.am’s fan base is most determinedly with the 30-39 years (23%), whereas the 50-59 years (20%) are more likely to connect with Tom Jones. And of course it’s not so unusual that the Welsh are also firmly behind their boy from Pontypridd

„Go Compare“

A recent mingle Trend survey revealed that 23% of Brits are making online purchases „very often“, but are the people in the UK also checking out price comparison sites for their shopping.

1 in 10 Brits are comparing prices online „very often“; most the biggest number (41%) are seeking the cheapest price „sometimes“. The heaviest users of such sites such as Go compare and pricerunner are the 20-39 years, 23% of whom are reviewing prices.

It seems as though the „Go Compare“ attitude really has become an integral part of internet usage in the UK; 41% are using comparison sites „now and again“. However, the Northern Irishmay take over the role as „savers“ from the Scots in the UK; they are the Brits who use comparison sites the most often.

With online sales set to continue to grow, the opera singer with the moustasche may have a job for life

Shopping from the comfort of your sofa

It has been forecasted that online sales will reach £43bn by 2015 and that 40% of high street shops may have to shut. So with the online purchases becoming more and more important, mingle Trend wanted to find out just how often the British public are shopping online.

Almost a quarter of the UK population are doing their shopping online “very often” and a further 38% are making their purchases “often”. It is the 20-29 years (36%) who are the heaviest users of the internet to shop “very often”. Internet shopping appears to be the more attractive for the Brits with a higher income; 30% do it “very often”, compared to lower income households (19%).

What are the Brits then buying online? Women are definitely buying more clothes online (66%) than men (43%) and the men are far more likely to buy hi-tech equipment (35%). The Scots are big fans (45%) of buying household items on the net, whereas 63% of the Welsh participants are choosing their latest outfits from online shops.

Do the Brits compare prices before making their final purchase decisions? Read it here in the mingle Trend tomorrow.

““I leave my worldly goods to….”

The task of determining what happens to one’s possessions when one dies is probably not a particularly pleasant one. This is probably especially true if you suspect that your last will and testament may cause resentment and disappointment. So are the Brits sorting out their last will and testament?

More than two-thirds of the UK participants have either written their wills or intend to do so and not surprisingly this number increases considerably with age. 64% of 60-69 years have already documented their wishes, compared to 32% of 40-49 years. Parents (46%) are noticeably more concerned with writing their will than those with no children. Here, it is no doubt the question of custody of their children in their event of an untimely death which they are keen to clarify.

Maybe the stakes are higher the higher the income one has. This could be one explanation why 45% of Brits with more money to bequeath have already written their last testament, compared to 23% from households with a low income.

As far as the different nations are concerned, it is the Scots (41%) who are least likely to divide their possessions and capital before they die. Either they have nothing to bequeath or they relish the drama which may very well follow their passing. However, when the Scots do write their wills, then they choose the most official path through their solicitors.

Although many Brits choose to seek the expertise of a solicitor to write their will (50%), a considerable number prefer to draft this very personal communication with their partner (21%) or even on their own (19%).

Wills are deemed to be advisable not only to ensure that your money is distributed as you wish but also to make sure other desires are met. For example, John Bowman stipulated in his will “For dinner to be prepared every night after his death in case he came back to life”. Can you imagine the look on the faces of his relatives as they were told of his obscure wish?

“The dreadful truth is that when people come to see their MP they have run out of better ideas" - Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson will be appealing to the citizens of London on 03/04/12 to put their trust in him, for a further 4 years. His opponents are Ken Livingstone and Brian Piddick, but who do the Brits think will win?

Boris is the clear favourite, according to the UK participants of the most recent mingle Trend survey. 45% overall see Mr. Johnson as the next London Mayor. In particular, men (51%) consider “the one with the hair”, to gain the most votes. On the other hand 50% of women have no idea of the probable outcome of the Mayoral elections.

It is the older generations that see Ken “Red Ken” Livingstone as the more imminent winner of the forthcoming election. The youngest Brits either have “no idea”(44%) or can imagine Boris holding his hands up in triumph later this week (44%) .

Whatever the outcome, it is time for a classic quote from Mr. Livingstone that will encourage the voters for both the local and the mayoral elections.

“If voting changed anything, they'd abolish it”- Ken Livingstone

Go to the polls

“Vote for the man who promises least. He'll be the least disappointing” Bernard Baruch

On 3rd of May 2012, the polling stations open for citizens in England, Wales and Scotland to cast their votes. With only a few days to go before the local elections, mingle Trend asked the UK population whether they had already made their minds up who to vote for.

Just over half of the participants (53%) say that they have already decided. Women (48%) are less resolved than men (58%) about which political party they will award their vote to. The 20-29 years are still the most undecided about which way to vote; 38% are still not sure.

Compared to the other two nations who are being beckoned to the polling stations, the English are the most likely to stay at home; 22% say they have no intention of voting.

The London Mayoral elections are also on the 3rd of May, who do the Brits think will win? Read the results here tomorrow.

What happened “Yesterday” should stay there

Recently James McCartney, son of Paul McCartney, allegedly revealed that he would like to form a band with the sons of the other Beatles. The idea is a new generation of Beatles, which would also involve the sons of Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon. mingle Trend asked the British public whether they thought it was a good idea or if they should keep the past firmly in its place?

Considering that the Beatles is one of the most successful bands of all time, the people in the UK are remarkably disinterested in a next generation band. 59% say that they couldn’t care either way. The level of apathy is especially high among the older generations, who are most likely to remember the furore surrounding the band.

Only 22% of the British people would welcome the news of a modern version of The Beatles; the 16-19 years show more enthusiasm (30%) for the idea. The biggest opponents are the 20-29 years (31%) and the Welsh participants (28%), for whom the sons should just “let it be”

"The dullest Olympic sport is curling, whatever 'curling' means" - Andy Rooney (American Radio and Television presenter)

Curling (nicknamed Chess on Ice) was officially recognised as winter Olympic sport in 1998. It is one of many sports to have been added and also discontinued to the Olympics, since the modern games were founded in 1896. One other sport which many are calling to be included in the Olympics is skateboarding, especially after BMX cycling was officially recognised in 2008. What do the Brits think about seeing people “take to their boards” for the Olympics?

It seems as though skateboarders don’t yet have the full support of the British public; 65% say that it should not be an Olympic sport. However, women (41%) are considerably bigger advocates of skateboarding as an Olympic sport than men (30%). It is the 20-29 years that seem to be most keen to see skateboarders compete for Olympic medals; 52% back the adding of this sport.

The biggest opponents are the Brits from households with the highest incomes; 73% reject the notion of skateboarding at the Olympics. But then again, maybe women’s boxing was not deemed suitable as an Olympic sport before, and it is now being added in this year’s 2012 Olympics Time will tell.