Bristol named the rudest city in the UK

The e-learning platform surveyed more than 1,500 residents of the 30 largest metropolitan areas to rate the rudeness of the average resident in their city on a scale of 1 to 10.

From November 2 to 7, 2022, Preply surveyed 1,510 UK residents of the 19 largest cities in the country.

Censuswide conducted the survey; participants needed residency of at least 12 months. Of all respondents, 47.04% identified as male, and 52.96% identified as female.  

Bristol has been named the UK's rudest city (Image: Preply)

To calculate the rudest and most polite cities, participants were asked to answer how often they witness 12 common disrespectful behaviours where they reside. An average score was then made of the resulting data to calculate each city's average “rudeness score” to rank them. 

Bristol came out on top at number one as it scored 5.84 on the rudeness scale while the national average score is at 5.40.

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The city is followed by Hull in second place with a score of 5.74 and Coventry in third with 5.70.

According to the survey, residents are slow to welcome outsiders in, so locals tend to point to a “feeling of insularity” to explain their behaviour.

Many residents have learned to keep to themselves while growing up in a busy city.

Preply found that the most common rude behaviours include people being absorbed by their phones, being noisy in public and not acknowledging strangers.

Bristol and Hull came out on top in four common rude behaviours while Sheffield has been named the most polite city and Liverpudlians are deemed the most generous.

Of the 19 cities that were surveyed, Sheffield (4.90), Derby (4.90), Bradford (4.94), and Manchester (5.09) are the most polite.

UK’s 10 rudest cities revealed

1. Bristol
2. Hull
3. Coventry
4. Glasgow
5. Edinburgh
6. London
7. Leeds
8. Belfast
9. Birmingham
10. Newcastle

Amy Pritchett, Culture Director of Preply, said: “We surveyed over 1,500 residents of the 30 largest metropolitan areas in the UK and asked them about the rudeness level of their city, including the prominence of certain typically rude behaviours, to help travellers determine what to expect when visiting.

“The top three rudest cities in the UK are Bristol, Hull, and Coventry. In addition, we found that the most common rude behaviours in the UK include people being absorbed by their phones, being noisy in public, and not acknowledging strangers.

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“For those who live or have lived in the UK, London not ranking first may be a surprise (in 6th). However, we also found that Sheffield, Derby, Bradford, and Manchester are the most polite.

“Along with reinforcing a reputation for good manners, this survey found that people jumping in queues was the least typical rude behaviour in the UK. Therefore, the nation’s love of forming an orderly line seems alive and well.”