Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Over half in England think tourism is Wales’ top industry – and 15% think it’s still coal and steel

25 Feb 2022 3 minute read
Miners, left. Right, a climber on the mountain.

Over half the people of England think that tourism is the largest industry in Wales, with 61% thinking the sector dominates the Welsh economy.

15% also thought that the coal and steel industries still dominate Wales’ economy, according to a poll by the company Golley Slater before Wales take on England in the rugby on Saturday.

In reality, only 0.2% of the Welsh economy is made up of mining and quarrying, and 16.8% by manufacturing as a whole.

The services sector now makes up 71.2% of Wales’ economy but only 3.6% of that is in hospitality.

Tourism (62%), agriculture (51%), food and drink (25%) and the public sector (25%) were the top industries identified as being associated with Wales by people in England.

But despite much of Wales’ being covered by fields, it only makes up 1% of the nation’s economy.

Doing business in Wales sees people in England sitting on the fence, with 50% believing it’s a good place to do business. This drops to 42% amongst Londoners.

Visiting

Despite the fact people in England feel they know more about Scotland (51%) compared to Wales (42%), there is a lot of positive sentiment towards Wales and its people from England.

Wales was deemed by more people in England as being welcoming (55%) and passionate (42%) compared to 38% and 29% respectively who recognised those attributes in their home nation.

The poll results

When it comes to patriotism, the English are also more likely to classify the Welsh as patriotic with half (50%) describing Wales as patriotic compared to 45% considering it true of England.

Here’s what they think:

  • One in two people in England believe Wales has strong political leadership
  • 72% of people in England believe Wales is a fair society
  • Almost nine in ten people in England (86%) believe Wales has a strong sense of community
  • 81% of English people think that it’s important that Wales stays in the union.
  • 71% believe Wales offers a great quality of life

Perhaps unsurprising therefore, 92% of households in England with children are interested in visiting Wales, and 79% of households without kids feel the same.

Head of Strategy and Insights at Golley Slater, Angharad Thomas said: “While many of the results have confirm an English fondness for Wales, there is still evidence of some outdated views and stereotypes.

“It’s clear that our passion and patriotism hasn’t gone unnoticed by our longstanding rugby rivals, and no doubt they’ll feel the full force of it for this weekend’s game at Twickenham!

“Our research has revealed some really interesting statistics and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of the positive perceptions people in England have about Wales and its people.

“We’ve enjoyed unpacking these gems and will be looking at how we can use these insights to support businesses, brands and organisations looking for opportunities on both sides of the border.”

The research sample size was 1,000 interviews carried out online. It was a representative sample of the population of England, and the research took place between 6-13 February 2022.


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago

Honestly I don’t care what the English think of us. But I’m really not surprised. Most English opinions of anything and anyone other than themselves seem unchanged since the ignorant 1970s

Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago

Honestly I don’t care what the English think of us. But I’m really not surprised.

Glyn Jones
Glyn Jones
2 years ago

And probably about 99% of politicians too who are hell bent on turning Wales into a recreation ground and theme park.

Malcolmrj
Malcolmrj
2 years ago

Very surprised that the research come up with that the English people have such good views about Wales. after the media always putting Wales down when ever they can and also some of the great programs made in Wales not shown on the main media SOUNDS GOOD NEWS TO ME .

Wrexhamian
Wrexhamian
2 years ago

How are the respondents interpreting “patriotic”, I wonder? Patriotic to Cymru or to the UK?

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago
Reply to  Wrexhamian

Good question Wrexhamian, I was wandering about that too, but as the questions were asked because of 6 nations game they probably meant Cymru.

Clive Fussell
Clive Fussell
2 years ago

If you want to put an end to stereotypes stop banging on about rugby at every opportunity.

Cynan
Cynan
2 years ago
Reply to  Clive Fussell

And that will put an end to all stereotypes? Don’t get me wrong I couldn’t give a monkeys about rugby OR soccerball. But it will take the population to discover who we REALLY are, instead of the Victorian substitute for national identity favoured by the Wenglish, to break the stereotypes. Our neighbours will never notice the difference, but if we could stop stereotyping ourselves we might be able to look forward with confidence and free ourselves of the albatross next door.

Last edited 2 years ago by Cynan
Clive Fussell
Clive Fussell
2 years ago
Reply to  Cynan

No, it won’t do away with all stereotypes but it would be a good starting point.

Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
2 years ago

That so many English folk still think that mining is big in Wales perhaps shows that the teaching of Geography and particularly Economic Geography is poor in English schools, even those to which the very rich send their children. We have evidence elsewhere in that a Minister had no idea that Dover was a major port link to the EU and the belief that HS2 goes to Wales. One hopes that Welsh schools are doing somewhat better.

Malcolmrj
Malcolmrj
2 years ago

Why shouldn’t we.Could the English put out about 20 teams too take on Wales and we play one of them what chance would they have don’t forget you have more clubs than we have players we are only 3million people would England compete with Wales at anything if it was the other way around think about it

Llefain
Llefain
2 years ago

They see us only in terms of themselves.
Wales matters so little beyond their use of it as a holiday camp that they don’t even care to know or see us as real people with lives beyond their own experiences of us.

Intentional ignorance and colonialist attitudes.
Not surprised. Everything is always about them.

Marc Jones
Marc Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Llefain

Being from Wales myself, I can confirm that much of it is nothing more than holiday towns and retirement villages. There are very few places actually worth living.

defaid
defaid
2 years ago
Reply to  BigPooba

I think this article refers to the monetary value of each sector, not the employment head-count.

Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
2 years ago
Reply to  defaid

No, if you work backwards and check the header text for each section it becomes clear that these data are people not pounds. Well done Big Pooba for digging out some statistics. We need to base our views on our interpretation of the known data not speculation. After all, were are Welsh and the Welsh do things better!

Valerie Matthews
Valerie Matthews
2 years ago

Wales has produced many of the last Centuries best actors and musicians It is a great source of many talented people.

Malcolmrj
Malcolmrj
2 years ago

And also some of the very best sports people

Craig
Craig
2 years ago

This is why 99% of welsh people hate tge english

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.