A recent survey conducted on behalf of Ocean Finance by YourSayPays has found that a large proportion of Britons still make regular visits to banks.
In the poll of 1,049 people, one-third of respondents overall said they visit their bank’s premises about personal finances at least once a month – not including visits to the cash machine. A further 19% go once per week, and 20% manage to go to their branches at least once every six months. If the survey’s results were applied to the whole of the UK population, this means more than half of us are popping into our local bank at least once a month.
The research found that it is the younger generation who seem to feel the need to go into their bank in person. Some 82% of respondents aged 18-24 visit their branch every six months or more, compared with just 66% of 55 to 64-year-olds. Over-65s were the most likely to say they never visit a physical branch (4%), which may indicate that the older generation is increasingly doing their banking online.
There were also some considerable regional differences: people in Scotland are the most likely (88%) to go to their bank branch every six months or more. A total of 87% of Glaswegians say they visit a physical branch this regularly, followed by 82% of those in Birmingham. Southampton’s banks appear to get the least usage, with just 51% of respondents there visiting at least every six months and 42% saying they rarely go into a branch.
“New technology has revolutionised the way we bank, shop and organise our lives, but it seems a large proportion of us haven’t turned our backs on the high street just yet: this survey suggests that many of us still appreciate the personal touch when it comes to our finances,” said Ian Williams, spokesman for Ocean Finance.
“Interestingly, the generation who grew up with smartphones and the internet are also among the most likely to talk to their banks in person.”
