Buying British Survey 2024
The annual Buying British Survey is one of Made in Britain’s flagship research programmes. Each year the survey questions around 1,000 British businesses and 2,000 consumers*. Now in its fifth year, the survey looks to keep up-to-date with changing attitudes to buying British-made products.
The results of 2024’s survey have seen a surge in Made in Britain Trademark recognition, as almost six in ten (57%) of businesses surveyed say they prefer to buy British-made products over alternatives imported from other countries.
For consumers, the survey also found that half of British consumers (50%) prefer to buy UK-manufactured products over alternatives imported from other countries. The research polled 2,000 British adults across the country in March.
Preference for British products has risen by more than 20 per cent (21%) for businesses over the past year. The two key drivers of buying British sentiment among UK companies are “to help the British economy/support British jobs” (68%) and environmental reasons (62%).
For consumers, and despite the ongoing financial pressures of the raised cost of living, 65 per cent of those surveyed say they are buying the same amount of British products and produce, with more than half (51%) of those who prefer to buy UK-manufactured goods saying they are prepared to do so even when they cost more than imported alternatives.
Of those companies that have a procurement target for British-made products, the average target is 48 per cent of all goods purchased, the research finds a year-on-year increase of 40 per cent. A year ago, the average procurement target for British-made products was 34 per cent.
Consumers polled showed a clear preference to buy British food; a huge 72 per cent say they prefer to buy domestically-grown fruit and vegetables, while 69 per cent favour British animal farm produce and 57 per cent opt for fish from the UK over alternatives produced in other countries.
Strikingly in the age of fast fashion and a global industry, almost half of respondents in the consumer survey (49%) say they prefer to buy British-made clothing. Forty-three per cent prefer to buy furniture and household goods that have been manufactured on home shores.
The main driver of growing consumer patriotism is a desire to support UK jobs and the domestic economy, with 64 per cent of respondents citing this as a driver in their preference. This is consistent with 2023 sentiment, measured by Made in Britain’s 2023 research.
Of those UK businesses that know the Made in Britain Trademark (79%), nearly two-thirds (64%) say they are more inclined to buy a product if they have seen the Trademark on it or associated with it, according to the research.
The research found that the Made in Britain Trademark is recognised by more than half (56%) of British consumers (up from 50% last year).
*Made in Britain’s fifth annual Buying British Survey polled 1,000 decision-makers engaged in procurement at British businesses, and 2,000 British adult consumers (nationally representative). OnePoll conducted fieldwork for both surveys between 12th and 19th March 2024.
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