New YouGov poll reveals the reasons why Britons cry
Young people are mostly upset by low self-confidence and anxiety
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Britain's young people are crying because they lack self-confidence, according to a new study.
The research, carried out by YouGov, investigated what causes the country to well up, as well as which demographics are more likely to be in need of a tissue.
18 to 24 year-olds are the most tearful age group. Of the people in this demographic who had cried within the last year, 44 per cent had done so because of low self-confidence.
Unspecified sadness or anxiety was also a significant cause of their woes (43 per cent), while work-related stress had left 38 per cent sobbing.
However, when taking the whole country into account, the science behind our sadness does not seem quite as bleak.
Sad films and novels are, by some distance, the main cause of crying among British adults. 37 per cent had to reach for the tissues after enjoying tear-jerkers like Titanic, The Notebook and One Day.
What's more, 26 per cent those who had cried did so because of 'someone else's happiness', suggesting a sizeable amount of Britain's adult population are compassionate sorts.
Meanwhile, the old association between traditional British values and a stiff upper-lip was also borne out in the results.
33 per cent of those who voted for Ukip at the last general election claimed that they had not cried at all during the previous 12 months.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments