Not unexpectedly, GWS discovered that Brits significantly increased their use of livestreaming and video calling apps to attend or share ‘milestone moments’ in the UK during the pandemic. What’s interesting is the wide variety of online events that families and friends participated in; for example, one in ten Brits have attended a wedding over livestream, 13% celebrated a birthday and 12% attended a funeral remotely. 6% of Brits have even witnessed a birth over livestream – this jumps up to 12% for 18–24-year-olds, and 14% for Edinburgh residents. Also, nearly one third (30%) of Brits that attended a gender reveal party did so remotely.

Even though restrictions, for the most part, have been lifted, it seems that a hybrid mix of digital and in-person events is on the rise:

  • More than 1 in 10 people plan to attend birthdays and funerals remotely in the coming year
  • University graduations are most likely to be attended remotely in the coming year, with 54% of people planning to attend a graduation via streaming.
  • Remote weddings also remain within the plans of many: 41% of those planning to attend a wedding plan to do so virtually.

Now that countrywide lock downs and restrictions have disappeared, how do you plan to celebrate life’s milestone moments?

To read the full report click here.