2.5m Brits planning to abandon their passports?


I'm not really sure what to make of this.

It's a promo survey for Park Resorts, but unlike many such marketing releases it has ok credentials (ICM Omnibus survey of 2038 UK adults conducted between 19th – 21st June 2009), so I have to take it seriously.

Once a ‘must have’ item, the research has revealed that 2.5 million UK adults will not renew their passports when they expire, as they state that they will never travel abroad again.

Whilst this might be expected of the over 65 age group, a surprising 4% of 18-34 year-olds plan to holiday only in the UK for the rest of their lives.

By region, the Welsh are the least likely to be travelling abroad again, with one in eight saying they are ruling out foreign holidays forever, followed by 8% in both the South West and East Midlands, and 7% in Scotland.


Really? "...never travel abroad again"?

Or is it more "not expecting to travel abroad again".

As they say, we can expect the 65+ age group to let their passports lapse - for many, overseas travel becomes more challenging and disconcerting - but for the younger age groups?

Some might baulk at the thought of all that sensitive personal data the government wants to gather, store...and probably lose.

Some might think that their recessionary finances and adverse exchange rates don't make overseas travel very attractive right now.

Some might think that security in the age of terrorism makes foreign travel deeply unpleasant.

But are any or all of those things enough to cause 2.5m Brits to abandon their passports?

What do you think?

Comments

Matthew Teller said…
Isn't it more to do with the fact that renewing a passport now costs the best part of 100 quid (or more if you do the quicker service)...

It's not clear to me why a passport should cost anything at all... seems to me rather like countries charging for a 'visa' (read: arrival tax): it's just become a part of travel so nobody questions it anymore.

Can someone explain why UK citizens should have to pay £100 in order to leave their own country?
Alastair said…
Duh! (smacks forehead in disbelief)

You're right Matthew, I'd completely forgotten that (even though it was announced only a couple of days ago!)

-----

From 3 September, the price of a basic ten-year adult passport (not the big fat 48-page job that travel journos need) will increase from £72 to £77.50. A child’s passport will also be more expensive, rising from £46 to £49.
Alastair said…
....but... that wouldn't account for answers given to a survey between 19th – 21st June
David Whitley said…
Precisely how many people were interviewed for this interview? And how were the questions worded?

These tend to be the clues to unlocking such surveys...

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