Londoners have a stronger attachment to the city than they do the rest of England, a YouGov poll has found.
New data indicates that nearly four in ten Londoners (38%) feel a very strong attachment to the capital, compared to fewer than one in three people (29%) who report a similarly strong attachment to England.
London had the lowest attachment to England of all the regions.
Residents identified the capital city’s “diversity and multiculturalism” as its most distinctive feature, with 27 per cent of respondents highlighting this.
This was followed by iconic attractions such as Big Ben and the London Eye, which received 11 per cent of the votes.
London’s public transport system — particularly the Underground, which is unique to the city — came next, cited by 8 per cent of participants.
According to the survey, people in the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, and South East England are more likely to express a “very strong attachment” to England than to their specific region.
In contrast, residents of the North East and London are more inclined to feel a stronger connection to their region than to England as a whole—likely reflecting a belief that their area possesses a unique quality.
London is one of the most diverse countries in the world, for example, with over 300 languages spoken and communities from nearly every country. Diversity is reflected in its food, festivals, and fashions. It is also a city with over 2,000 years of history.
While Londoners had the lowest attachment to England, the figures were reasonably consistent across regions.
Between 29 and 35 per cent of people in all nine English regions expressed a very strong attachment to their country, compared to a more varied 11 to 48 per cent holding such a connection to their region.
In terms of regional identity, northern identity emerged as the strongest, with 31 per cent of residents in the three northern regions expressing a very strong attachment to the North.
This contrasts with just 14 per cent of Southerners who feel similarly connected to the South, and only 8 per cent of Midlanders who report a strong attachment to the Midlands.
