Getting Part If Part of Britain's National Character: Survey

More than a quarter of Britons think getting drunk abroad is a national characteristic, according to a survey marking England's national day Saturday. An Opinium Research poll of 2,012 British adults found that 60 percent thought drinking tea was a national trait, closely followed by talking about the weather.

Forty percent associated a "stiff upper lip" mentality with being British.

Meanwhile 32 percent thought supporting the royal family was a British characteristic, as the country gears up for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on Friday.

Twenty-eight percent thought that getting drunk abroad was a British attribute, while fewer than one in three thought working hard made people British.

"Our research has revealed that it's hard to pin down what it means to be British," said Opinium Research managing director James Endersby.

"With several stereotypical attributes making the list as well as wider personality traits, it goes to show that Britishness is a complex mix of characteristics."

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Fewer than half of those surveyed in England knew April 23 was Saint George's Day.

Just 48 percent knew the date celebrating England's patron saint -- yet 57 percent knew that Saint Patrick's Day, the Irish national day, was March 17.

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In Northern Ireland, 100 percent of those surveyed knew when Saint Patrick's Day was, while eight in 10 in Wales knew when Saint David's Day fell.

Despite the majority not knowing when Saint George's Day was, 61 percent of English people described themselves as English rather than British.

Source-AFP