Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 8
Italians and French Outpace Germans in Sunlounger Hogging, YouGov Finds 45% vs 38%
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 8

Italians and French Outpace Germans in Sunlounger Hogging, YouGov Finds 45% vs 38%

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 8

Summary

  • A YouGov poll found 45% of Italian and French holidaymakers with access to pool loungers had reserved one with a towel, versus 38% of Germans and 33% of Britons.
  • The findings undercut a familiar stereotype: 51% of Germans and 46% of Britons associate lounger hogging with Germans, but only 5% to 17% of respondents elsewhere in Europe do.
  • Across the countries surveyed, 60% to 82% called the practice unacceptable, yet 51% to 63% said they had been unable to get a lounger because they were all taken.
  • Italy appears to face a wider reserving culture on beaches too, where authorities have targeted overnight umbrella and chair claims with dawn sweeps and fines of up to €500.

Insights

If Germans aren't the worst sunbed hoggers, why does this stubborn stereotype persist while other nationalities secretly claim the loungers?
Could the shocking court ruling that forces tour operators to pay for hogged sunbeds finally end Europe's towel wars?
Are dawn police sweeps and hefty fines the only way to save our public beaches from aggressive early-morning towel squatters?