Pictures of family holidays have been found to be the most missed photo opportunity of 2021. Almost one in five Brits (17%) have missed taking special snaps of holidays with loved ones, according to research released today from photoGuard, part of Thistle insurance.

The Opinium poll, which questioned Brits around how the pandemic restrictions impacted their ability to take photos and make memories, found the other major missed photo opportunities included; social gatherings (14%), holidays with friends (13%), and birthdays (12%). This was followed by festivals or concerts (8%) and New Year 2021 (8%).

Most missed photo opportunities of 2021

  1. Family holiday – 17%
  2. Social gatherings – 14%
  3. Holidays with friends – 13%
  4. Birthdays  – 12%
  5. Festivals or concerts and New Year 2021 – 8%
Family on the beach Photo by Natalya Zaritskaya

Photo by Natalya Zaritskaya

According to photoGuard, almost four in ten (39%) UK adults have missed taking pictures at events in 2021. This is especially true for women (41%) more than men (37%). The figure also rises for those aged 18-34 where over half (55%) have missed taking pictures during the pandemic restrictions. This is compared to just 30%  in those 55 and over.

“It’s clear that capturing photos and memories has been a big miss in 2021 as events have been canceled, postponed, or held without a crowd”, said Alex Bennett, Director of Thistle Insurance. “It has reinforced that who we share these moments with is just as important as the moment itself.

The separation caused by the pandemic will hopefully be the force that brings us all together again even stronger, encouraging people to take more photos of friends and family and capture the moments that matter.”

The data also highlighted that it is the over 55’s that have predominantly missed taking pictures of family and friends with one in four of this demographic (25%) citing this as the photo opportunity they have missed the most. This compares to just 12% in 18-34 year olds, who reported holidays with friends (15%) and university graduation (13%) as their most missed moments.

At a regional level, the research found that Wales was the area that most missed taking family holiday pictures this year with nearly half (46%) citing it as the occasion they’ve most missed being unable to capture on camera. The North East missed taking photos at birthday parties (26%), East Midlands claimed it was general social gatherings (29%) and those in Yorkshire (16%) were the most likely to miss taking festival photos.

Looking ahead, moments spent with family – most notably Christmas 2021 and holidays (both 14%) are far ahead of any upcoming moment people are looking forward to capturing. This is especially the case in Bristol where a quarter of residents (24%) are ready to take pictures of the festive moments – the highest in the country. This is in comparison to Brighton where only 3% of residents are looking forward to clicking the camera this Christmas.


Further reading

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