Late Night Index
THIRTEENTH LATE NIGHT INDEX
Released: December 2019
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FOREWORD
Peter Marks – Chief Executive, REKOM UK
“Fittingly for this time of year, our 13th Late Night Index explores how consumer behaviour in the late night economy changes during the festive season.
We know that consumers celebrate occasions by going on a night out, and what bigger occasions are there than Christmas and New Year? So it’s perhaps unsurprising to see this reflected in the results; more than 50% of Brits believe that a big night out is a good way to celebrate the end of the year, and as the figures show, we certainly will be celebrating!
More than 40% of us will enjoy more frequent nights out to catch up with friends and almost half of us will spend more while we’re out. It’s also encouraging to see that not only is consumer spend up from last year, at £69.64, but consumers are also going out more often, with 58.8% of respondents saying they go on a night out at least once a week, up from 53.9% last year.
Here at REKOM UK, the festive period is one of our busiest times, and we are looking forward to delivering fantastic, safe, entertaining nights out for our customers through Christmas, New Year’s Eve and beyond.”
HEADLINE FINDINGS
December 2019
THE LATE NIGHT ECONOMY
- Consumers are spending an average of £69.64 on a night out, up 3.9% year on year (last quarter: £70.69)
- 26-30 year olds spend more than any other age group, with an average spend of £75.24
- 58.8% of respondents said they go on a night out at least once a week, up from 53.9% last year. This figure rises to 78.6% among 18-30 year olds
- More than a quarter (26.2%) of 18-21 year olds go on a night out 2-3 days a week, compared to 14.7% of all consumers
- The pub continues to be the most popular form of late-night leisure entertainment. 25.6% say that this is the form of late-night leisure they spend the most money on each month
- A quarter of consumers spend more money on going to bars and clubs each month (25.1%) than other leisure types
- Among 18-21 year olds, bars and clubs are the most popular expenditure (41.1%). This is followed by the cinema (26.5%) and the pub (18.3%)
WHAT’S THE PLAN THIS CHRISTMAS?
- 42.3% of Brits – and 50.4% of 18-21 year olds – say they go on a night out more often than they usually would during this period, while 47.8% say they spend more on a night out
- 44.4% of respondents are more excited to go on a night out during the festive period– as are 58.0% of 18-21 year olds
- Half (50.3%) believe that a big night out is a good way to mark the occasion and celebrate the end of the year.
- Catching up with friends was the most popular reason for why we go out during this period, with 49.0% citing this as a reason
- A third (33.5%) of Brits said they go on a night out during the festive season to get into the festive spirit and see in the new year with a crowd
- Almost a quarter (24.4%) said they go on a night out at this time to catch up with relatives – though 13.5% said they went on a night out to escape relatives. Among 18-21 year olds, this figure rises to 21.1%
HOW OFTEN DO WE GO OUT?
- On average, we go on 1.51 nights out a week – up from 1.19 last year
- 58.8% of respondents go on a night out at least once a week, up from 53.9% last year
- Among 18-30 year olds this figure rises to 78.6%
- A quarter (26.2%) of 18-21 year olds, and a fifth (21.6%) of 22-25 year olds, say they go on a night out 2-3 times a week
- The number of men going out at least once per week is higher than women, at 60.8% compared to 53.9%
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
- Those living in Birmingham are most likely to go out at least once a week (68.2%), while those in Edinburgh are least likely to at 36.8%
- Those in London are most likely to go on a night out 2-3 days a week (18.8%) followed by those in Birmingham (17.9%) and Southampton (15.5%)
- Those in Liverpool are the most likely to enjoy a night out just once a week (36.7%)
HOW MUCH DO WE SPEND?
- People are spending an average of £69.64 on a night out, up 3.9% year on year from £67.05
- 26-30 year olds spend more than any other age group: average spend amongst this group increases to £75.24 among
- This figure includes every aspect of a night out, from pre-drinks to transport and entry fees. Year on year spend is up across almost all categories:
- Predrinks – £12.21, 8.2% increase (last year: £11.29)
- Food – £16.24, 3.4% increase (last year: £15.70)
- Transport – £12.18, 6.6% increase (last year: £11.43)
- Entry fee – £10.92, 9.9% increase (last year: £9.86)
- Drinks in venue – £18.09, 3.6% decrease (last year: £18.77)
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
- Glaswegians are spending the most on average, at £79.85, followed by those in Edinburgh
(£77.00) and Birmingham (£72.47 - In comparison, those in Nottingham are spending the least (£61.82), followed by Newcastle (£64.12) and Bristol (£65.34)
- Those living in Sheffield are spending the most on drinks in the venue (£20.89) whilst
Glaswegians are spending the most on predrinks (£15.84). - Spend on food is highest in Edinburgh, at £18.36, and lowest in Plymouth, at £13.44
WHY DO WE GO OUT?
- While seeing friends continues to be one of the most popular reasons for why people go on a night out, with 59.8% citing this, there is a notable drop from 69.9% last year
- Similarly, the percentage of people that said they go on a night out to escape the stress of day to day life has declined from 43.3% last year to 36.3%
- The number of those going out to meet potential partners has increased to 10.3% from 7.8% last year. This is significantly more common among men (14.4%) than women (6.6%)
- Going out to celebrate an occasion is a popular choice both amongst women and those aged 26-30 (both 40.1%), compared to the national average of 34.0%
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
- Seeing friends was cited as the top reason for going out in every city, but was particularly popular in Belfast (69.4%) and Newcastle ((66.3%)
- Celebrating an occasion was also a particularly popular reason in Belfast, with more people here selecting this (46.8%) than any other city; it was a less popular choice in Norwich (24.1%)
- Those in Bristol are the most likely to go on a night out in order to meeting potential partners (15.6%). This is followed by Norwich (13.8%) and London (13.5%)
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
- The pub continues to be the form of late night leisure that the majority of people (25.6%) say they spend the most money on each month
- The number of people spending more money at clubs and bars combined is 25.1%
- This rises significantly to 41.1% among those aged 18-21
- A quarter (25.9%) of 18-21 year olds spend most of their money on clubs each month, while 27.9% of 26-30 year olds spend most at bars
- A greater percentage of men (28.3%) spend the most money in clubs and bars combined than women (22.2%)
- The pub is particularly popular among 31-45 year olds (31.8%) and 46-55 year olds (34.2%)
- Year on year, cinemas have grown in popularity – 18.8% say this is the form of late night leisure they spend the most money on each month, up from 16.0% last year
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
- The majority of respondents in the following cities said they spent more money on clubs & bars than on any other late night leisure activity:
- Belfast (33.3%)
- Cardiff (30.1%)
- Manchester (28.4%)
- London (27.4%)
- In comparison, pubs are the most popular venue in the following cities:
- Liverpool (34.7%)
- Sheffield (30.4%)
- Plymouth (29.1%)
- Nottingham (28.8%)
- Birmingham (28.2%)
- Glasgow (28.2%)
HOW DO WE PLAN A NIGHT OUT?
- Recommendations continue to be the most common way we choose where to go (45.0%) but this is down significantly year on year (57.0%)
- Recommendations are far more influential among women (50.4%) than men (39.0%)
- Friends being tagged on Facebook was the next most popular factor (22.2%) followed by Google searches (20.3%) and online reviews (17.5%)
- Nearly a quarter (22.6%) of 18-21 year olds will use club photos when planning a night out, double the national average of 11.8%
- Instagram is most influential among 22-25 year olds, with 18.7% citing this as a factor in deciding where to go, followed by 18-21 year olds with 15.4%
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
- Websites carry more influence in Bristol (20.7%), Brighton (19.6%) and London (19.6%) than other cities
- Celebrity appearances hold the greatest sway in Leeds (10.9%) and Cardiff (10.0%), and least in Liverpool, where only 1.1% said it impacted their decision
- Recommendations affect people’s choices more in Newcastle (55.0%) than any other city, and least in Cardiff (30.0%)
HOW DO OUR ATTITUDES CHANGE OVER CHRISTMAS?
- 42.3% said they go on a night out more often than they usually would during the December festive period (which includes the run up to Christmas, right through to New Year’s Eve)
- Almost half (47.8%) of respondents say they spend more money than they usually would on a night out during this period. This rises to 58.2% amongst those aged 18-21
- 44.4% – and 58.0% of 18-21 year olds – also say that they are more excited about a night out
compared to normal. - Half (50.3%) of respondents feel that a big night out is a good way to celebrate the end of the year. This goes up to two thirds (66.2%) among 18-21 year olds, and 59.2% among 26-30 year olds
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
- Those in Birmingham are most likely to go out more often than usual during the festive period (48.8%), followed by those in Liverpool (44.5%) and London (44.1%)
- Those in Birmingham are also most likely to spend more on a night out in this period (55.2%), followed by those in Edinburgh (52.9%) and then those in Cardiff (50.0%)
- Those in Leeds are most likely to feel more excited than usual about a night out at this time, with 54.3% saying this. This is followed by Birmingham (48.8%) and Glasgow (47.1%)
WHY DO WE GO OUT OVER CHRISTMAS?
- Catching up with friends was the most popular response for why people choose to go out over Christmas, with almost half (49.0%) citing this as a reason
- A third of respondents (33.5%) said they go on a night out during this period to get into the festive spirit and see in the new year with a crowd – this goes up to 44.7% among 18-21 year olds
- Almost a quarter cited catching up with relatives as a reason for going on a night out during this period – though 13.5% said it was to escape relatives. Among 18-21 year olds, this figure rises to 21.1%
- Just over one in ten (12.2%) said they go on a night out to take their mind off the festivities – this goes up to 18.7% among 22-25 year olds, higher than any other age group
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN
- Those in Brighton and Plymouth are more likely than those in other cities to go on a night out to catch up with friends (58.9% and 58.7% respectively)
- Getting into the festive spirit and seeing in the new year with a crowd is also a particularly popular reason in Plymouth (45.7%), as well as in Birmingham (39.8%)
- Residents in Edinburgh are most likely to go out to catch up with relatives (30.9%), followed by those in Newcastle (28.8%) and Bristol (28.1%)
- That being said, those in Newcastle are also among those most likely to go out to avoid relatives (17.5%), as are those in Birmingham (17.4%)
- Londoners are most likely to go out to take their mind off the festivities (13.5%)
