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For consumers, the pub is their first choice for a night out with friends. ROSIE DAVENPORT reports on an exclusive Morning Advertiser survey into why...

For consumers, the pub is their first choice for a night out with friends. ROSIE DAVENPORT reports on an exclusive Morning Advertiser survey into why the British love pubs so much

Home is where we lay our hat, so the saying goes, and for more than one in four adults, that place is the pub.

New research conducted exclusively for the Morning Advertiser by research agency Harris Interactive reveals that the pub is the first choice for a night out, beating restaurants, clubs and cinemas as the preferred place to socialise with friends and family.

Encouragingly, 26% of adults would rather spend time with their mates in a pub, compared to 17% for restaurants and 4% for both clubs and cafes.

Harris Interactive polled 2,313 British adults aged 18 and over for the research that puts pubs in pole position when it comes to socialising outside of the home.

The top reason why consumers go to pubs, say 71% of our poll, is because they can socialise there, which is consistently cited as the best thing about pubs, regardless of how often consumers say they visit.

And even those who say they prefer to meet up with friends somewhere other than the pub say that the best thing about pubs is the fact that they are easy places for socialising.

A raft of memorable occasions

Food is another draw, although interestingly, adults who go to the pub more than once a week are significantly less likely to think this is im- portant (21% compared to 39% who go be- tween once a fortnight and once a month). Those who visit frequently place more importance on the range of drinks (45%) and having friendly staff (42%) with the food being just as popular as being able to smoke (21%).

Pub's association with good times and celebrations is borne out by the fact that, according to our survey, they have been the setting for a raft of memorable social occasions

over the last year.

When asked what events consumers had enjoyed in their pub in the last 12 months, once again, irrespective of how often consumers go to the pub, a common event that pulls the punters into the pubs is a birthday celebration. Nearly three quarters (73%) of those who visit the pub more than once a week, and nearly half (48%) of those that go once a month, have enjoyed a birthday in a pub within the last year.

Consumers also single out traditional pub entertainment such as music, with nearly a quarter (23%) of those who go once a month, rising to nearly half of those who go at least once a week (47%), saying they have enjoyed music at a pub within the last 12 months. Big sporting occasions and pub quizzes have also attracted similar levels of enjoyment among consumers. Hen and Stag dos also feature highly, with 19% of those who go more than once a week and even 7% of those who go less than once a month saying they have enjoyed a hen or stag do in a pub in the last 12 months.

Favourite place to socialise

Not surprisingly, the more frequently consumers go to the pub, the more likely they are to cite it as being their favourite place to socialise with friends and family. But even those who go once a month (20%) say it is their preferred place to socialise. So could more be done to increase how often consumers go to the pub? George Terhanian, president of Harris Inter-active's European operation, thinks there could. 'Our research shows that there is enormous potential in targeting marketing activity in order to draw more consumers into the pubs,' he maintains. 'The popularity of celebrating birthdays in pubs is something that the on-trade could do well to capitalise on.'

Beating people's homes as their favourite place to hang out is a tough challenge, but by focusing on the occasions when consumers go to the pub, the trade could gain ground over other industries.

Exploiting changing trends among consumers is the key to keeping one step ahead of other venues and, for pubs, maintaining the loyalty that customers hold for the trade is vital.

While food figures large, along with offering a good range of drinks, the core elements for consumers are being made to feel at home with friendly staff and a sociable environment. Many licensees are clearly already excelling in this department, but the message for the future is about maintaining those standards with the same passion that keeps consumers wanting to enjoy some of their most important social gatherings down the pub.

Binge drinking responsibility

While consumers associate pubs with fun and celebrations they still make a clear division in their minds between the venue's role in providing the perfect setting for a night out and their own responsibility to drinking sensibly.

An overwhelming 81% of consumers say they are responsible for binge drinking rather than licensees or drinks suppliers.

The number of consumers who admit the amount they drink is down to them has risen by 9% since Harris Interactive last asked consumers their views in February this year. This change of heart is all the more significant given the relentless fire about perpetuating the problem that pubs have come under from some politicians and certain sectors of the media.

The top 10 reasons for going to the pub

1 Being able to socialise with friends and family (71%)

2 The food (37%)

3 Friendly staff (34%)

4 The range of drinks (30%)

5 Being able to smoke (17%)

6 Music (16%)

7 The garden (13%)

8 The pub quiz (9%)

9 Good place to meet prospective partners (4%)

10 Good place to go on a date (4%)

What occasions have you enjoyed most in the pub in the last year?