From sticking to the same service providers to bemoaning the change of a brand name…
In a recent poll 86 percent of Brits described themselves as a “creature of habit”, with 38 percent have stayed with their bank for years, despite not being happy with them. One in twenty (19 percent) keep seeing the same doctor they’ve always had, even though they don’t like them – and 17 percent have stuck with their broadband provider, despite moaning about them frequently.
And the survey found, as many as eight in ten Brits (83 percent) claim there are certain historical changes they’ve found almost impossible to accept, with 18 percent STILL reeling over Opal Fruits rebranding to Starburst in 1998.
Other changes many Brits struggled to get over, include pounds and ounces becoming grams and kilograms (16 percent), red passports changing to blue (11 percent) – and despite half a century passing, some STILL haven’t made peace with shillings changing to pounds. (10 percent).
More recently, 18 percent of the 2,000 Brits surveyed, said they cannot get used to calling Twitter, by its new brand name, X. The research from Virgin Media discovered that 14 percent still find it strange calling a Marathon, Snickers, with a third (38 percent) going a step further and claiming that they have “never recovered” from it.
Over half (55 percent) think people get less comfortable with change as they get older, resulting in 68 percent finding it hard to embrace everyday changes, such as singing God Save our Gracious King, instead of Queen. Seven in ten (70 percent) admit they find change so hard that they REFUSE to call something by its new name after it has changed.
This is notiable with ITV, despite their best efforts to give the former region-by-region network a single brand name ‘ITV1’ many viewers still refer to the station in their area by its former name such as Tyne Tees in the North East, Granada in the North West and Anglia in the East. For shops it might be John Lewis on the signage, but many still refer to the Newcastle department store as Bainbridges and similar in Birmingham as shoppers refer to House of Frazer by its original moniker of Rackhams.
Psychologist Dr Becky Spelman:
“As human beings, we are wired to seek stability. Familiarity provides a sense of security, and when something we’ve known for a long time—whether it’s a brand, a routine, or a cultural tradition—changes, it disrupts that sense of stability. This reaction is rooted in how our brains form cognitive shortcuts; we associate long-standing names and practices with reliability. When these change, even in subtle ways, it creates an internal conflict that can lead to discomfort or resistance. However, given time, our brains adjust, and what once felt unfamiliar eventually becomes second nature.”
Our reluctance for change also makes an appearance in our love of sport, with 18 percent admitting they are still reeling from Ronaldo’s move back to Manchester United in 2021 and 16 percent shocked to see Hamilton switching to the red team and driving for Ferrari this F1 season instead of Mercedes.
Beckham leaving Man Utd for Real Madrid (13 percent), Messi moving to Inter Miami (12 percent), Greg Rusedski choosing to play for the UK instead of Canada (six percent) and Louis Rees-Zammit moving state side, swapping rugby boots for shoulder pads as he tried his luck in the NFL (five percent) also left sporting fans in shock. As a result, more than half (52 percent) of football fans admit it is disorientating seeing your favourite player lining up for the opposition.
Too much hassle to change (40 percent), comfortable with them (29 percent), too time consuming (25 percent) and not wanting to offend anyone (19 percent) are the main reasons we stick it out with a second-rate supplier.
Dr Becky:
“Sports create a sense of continuity, and we like to believe that certain players will always be associated with specific teams. When an icon like David Beckham leaves Manchester United or Lewis Hamilton switches from Mercedes to Ferrari, it disrupts that expectation. It’s the same psychological reaction people have when a well-loved actor is replaced in a long-running film franchise—it challenges the sense of consistency we subconsciously rely on. The longer someone holds a position, the harder it is to accept a change.”
In fact, according to the survey one in four (23 percent) of Brits have been with their current broadband provider for over 10 years, despite saying that they would prefer a better price (79 percent), faster speed (43 percent), a more reliable service (41 percent) or a more trusted brand (15 percent). Last year, Virgin Media was named best broadband experience by Global Wireless Solutions, highlighting the operator’s industry leading services.
In contrast, 86 percent say they embrace change because it keeps things interesting (49 percent), helps welcome new things (49 percent), mixes things up (47 percent) and adds spice to life (38 percent).
THE 15 HISTORIC CHANGES, BRITS FOUND MOST HARD TO GET THEIR HEAD AROUND
- Singing ‘God Save Our Gracious King’ instead of Queen – 33%
- Twitter rebranding to X – 18%
- Opal Fruits rebranding to Starburst – 18%
- Lbs and ounces to grams and kilograms – 16%
- Marathon rebranding to Snickers – 14%
- Red passports changing to blue passports – 11%
- Millennium Stadium becoming Principality Stadium – 10%
- Shillings changing to pounds and pence – 10%
- Arsenal’s stadium changing from Highbury to Emirates – 10%
- Doctor Who morphing from Jodie Whittaker to David Tennant – 9%
- Dime bar changing its name to Daim – 8%
- Oil of Ulay rebranding to Oil of Olay – 8%
- Datsun becoming Nissan – 7%
- Prince changing his name to a symbol – 7%
- Big Brother switching to Channel 5 – 5%
