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Throw out the Rulebook

But it’s the older folk, not teens, who want to challenge society’s silly rules

 

•  T-Mobile identifies a desire for Brits to challenge some of the more nonsensical rules, social conventions and etiquettes

• A third of people (34%) think we should avoid the rule of not walking on the grass in parks

• Dinner table etiquette is another convention we’d love to break, with (29%) wanting to put their elbows on the table and 19% wishing they wouldn’t be frowned upon for shovelling peas

• Many of those surveyed admit to being conformists and have no idea why they follow certain regulations, with 32% saying it was out of habit

 

London, 26 February:

Don’t walk on the grass, don’t shovel your peas, don’t dress baby boys in pink - Britain is a nation of conformists who follow rules without question, which they now admit make no sense. But according to new research from T-Mobile, men and women of all ages are finally ready to challenge some of the sillier rules, social conventions and etiquettes that we abide by for no apparent reason.

 

The survey reveals that a third of respondents (34%) believe the No walking on the grass� sign seen in parks is the silly rule they would most like to break, with almost a quarter (24%) believing we as a nation should challenge this instruction. Rather than rebellious teens, it’s those who have hit middle age who are more likely to throw caution to the wind and walk on the grass, with 40% of those aged 45+ wanting to challenge this rule, compared to only 24% of those aged 18-24.

 

Dinner table etiquette is the other rule we’d most love to break “ but don’t. Almost a third (29%) continue to avoid putting their elbows on the table, and 19% wish they weren’t frowned upon for shovelling peas with an upturned fork.

 

Women are far more willing to go against stereotypes when it comes to dressing their children, with 21% of mums admitting they’d love to be bold and not dress their baby boys in blue and girls in pink, compared to only one in ten dads.

 

The research, which was commissioned to support T-Mobile’s pledge to challenge the outdated rules within the mobile industry, revealed that most people have no idea why they follow certain conventions, with 32% saying they only do it out of habit. A fifth of those surveyed said that they felt regulations that made no sense were there to be broken, with nearly a quarter of over 55s showing their rebellious side and willingness to challenge the rulebook where appropriate.

 

Another social convention that makes no sense to Brits is never talking on public transport, with 26% declaring they wish they could be more confident and start ignoring this rule. Amorous swimmers aged 25-34 are also more keen to ignore the sign of no petting in the swimming pool (16%), compared to only one in ten hormonal teenagers (11%).

 

Professor Geoff Beattie, psychologist, said: It has often been thought that we are a very conservative nation, never wishing to say or do anything out of turn.  We seem to want to conform to rules that guide much of our everyday behaviour, even when we don’t agree with them, in order to fit in and avoid embarrassment. But things may be changing, and it’s not necessarily the young who are at the vanguard of this change.  This new research suggests that older people are especially keen to question many of the everyday rules and conventions that we follow.�

 

Lysa Hardy, Head of Brand and Communications at T-MobileUK, said: It is clear from our research that many of us never really consider why we follow many day-to-day rules, even if they make no obvious sense. Our customers have told us the same about the confusion in the mobile market, which is why we’re challenging some of the outdated rules that exist by simplifying our portfolio and making our price plans more flexible.�

 

T-Mobile has launched a new simplified portfolio of pay monthly price plans which allow customers to adapt their plan each month to better suit their needs. T-Mobile is the only operator offering its new pay monthly customers the choice of an inclusive monthly Flexible Booster, such as Unlimited Texts, Unlimited Internet and Landline Calling, which can be simply changed by text every 30 days.

 

T-Mobile’s new portfolio means customers can personalise their plan based on the type of handset they want, the way they use their phone and how much they want to spend each month.

 

- Ends -

Notes to editors

 

Contacts:

T-Mobile Press Line                                  +44 (0) 7017 150 150

Brands2Life                                       +44 (0) 207 592 1200

 

About T-MobileUK

 

T-Mobile is one of the world’s largest mobile operators with more than 148 million customers worldwide and is the service provider of choice for 16.7 million customers in the UK. T-Mobile offers a range of innovative products and services, and continues to innovate with new devices such as the UK’s first Androidâ„¢-based smart phone, the T-Mobile G1, and its successor the T-Mobile G2, both with access to more than 1,000 applications. T-Mobile has pioneered the mobile internet, and operates an award-winning 3G network with speeds of up to 4.5Mbps. As a pioneer of deep network sharing in the UK, T-Mobile plans to deliver close to complete population coverage for 3G services in 2010.