Miranda Hart is the UK’s favourite celebrity to share a meal with.

Photo courtesy: BBC

 Miranda topped a consumer league table beating Barack Obama, The Queen and David Beckham.

UK consumers currently benefit from GBP 4.6 billion of savings and earnings from the Sharing Economy.

Miranda Hart is the UK’s favourite celebrity to share a meal with according to a consumer survey commissioned by The People who Share. Roast dinner is the top meal that consumers are most likely to want to share with their favourite celebrities, followed by steak and chips, and fish and chips. Barack Obama is their favourite politician to have a meal with, whilst the leaders of the Conservative and Labour parties – David Cameron and Ed Miliband – are the UK’s least favourite celebrities to share a meal with.

The representative research, conducted by Opinium, of 2,005 adults in the UK, was commissioned by The People who Share to demonstrate the growing consumer appetite for the Sharing Economy and to launch Global Sharing Day on Sunday 2nd June.

“UK consumers who currently share are benefiting from £4.6 billion worth of savings or earnings. Consumers are now making and saving money through sharing, or renting with their friends and neighbours. According to this research, those that share can benefit up to £400 per year per person, with some benefiting from the Sharing Economy as much as £5,000 per year,” said Benita Matofska, CEO of the People Who Share.

Food sharing, such as at a picnic, pot luck dinner or street party is one of the UK’s most favourite sharing activities – with 19% of the population saying they currently do this. Global Sharing Day 2013 will take place on Sunday 2nd June in partnership with Meal Sharing, Marks and Spencer’s shwopping and The Big Lunch. The event will be aiming to set the world record for the most people sharing food in a single day! Food sharing has a vital to role to play – 15 million tonnes of food are currently wasted between plough and plate that could have been shared with the 4 million people affected by food poverty in the UK.

As pioneers of the Sharing Economy, Zipcar, the UK’s largest pay-as-you-drive car club, has been observing its growth for the last 12 years. Mark Walker, General Manager of Zipcar UK, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Global Sharing Day. The Pay-as-you-live generation is here to stay and Zipcar has been proudly fuelling the Sharing Economy by providing cars and vans, available by the hour in convenient locations to consumers and businesses for the last 12 years. A typical Zipcar member saves over GBP 3,000 per year, and it’s not just money back in your pocket. Car clubs also lead to a reduction of cars on the road, and fewer miles driven. Sharing resources, be it cars, office space or even clothes just makes sense.”

“The Sharing Economy is growing in the UK with a 5% increase in participation since last year. With over half the population engaged in it, selling, buying or donating second hand goods is the nation’s favourite sharing activity. 36% of Britons now share transport including a ride to work, that’s a staggering 11% more than last year,” said Sabine Popp, Co-Founder, Marke2ing.

The People Who Share is based in Brighton, UK and is the global campaign to build a Sharing Economy and act as a hub for the emerging Sharing Economy estimated to be worth GBP 22.4 billion in the UK – or 1.3% of GDP. The percentage of GDP is predicted to rise to 15% within 5 years. The People Who Share’s sister company, Compare and Share, has an online comparison marketplace for the Sharing Economy, compareandshare.com, which is a one-stop shop for a range of sharing goods and services. Currently focusing on car and ride sharing, the marketplace will soon extend to travel, real estate, employment, p2p rental and skills.

Celebrity League Table

 

1 Miranda Hart
2 Barack Obama
3 The Queen
4 Kate Middleton
5 Helen Mirren
6 Jessica Ennis
7 David Beckham
8 Jamie Oliver
9 Angelina Jolie
10 Adele
11 Brad Pitt
12 David Cameron
13 Ed Miliband

 

The People Who Share commissioned Opinium Research to conduct a Consumer Survey on the State of the Sharing Economy. The report is the first in a series which will document how the Sharing Economy evolves. The Global Sharing Day campaign put a spotlight on food, the research put questions to 2,005 UK consumers asking them about their involvement with the people-driven economy. Global Sharing Day 2013, taking place on 2nd June, will focus on food sharing. We have chosen this issue to make people aware of how every year tonnes of edible food goes to landfill, yet there are millions globally living in food poverty, but also point to easy steps everyone can take to help.