• Two in five (40 per cent) Brits admit to having a phone voice, using it to make themselves sound ‘smarter’ and feel ‘more confident’
• Two thirds (67 per cent) use it when speaking to people they know, predominately bosses, new partners and in-laws
• Women are more likely to use a phone voice than men
• Glasgow is home of the ‘phone voice’
   

“The ‘Bouquet’ residence, the lady of the house speaking”

Hyacinth Bucket’s famous phone greeting may be the epitome of the British ‘phone voice’ but a new study by Privilege Insurance has revealed that two out of five people (40 per cent) have and regularly use one.  

According to the research, almost four in five (78 per cent) phone voice users admit putting on their ‘phone voice’ when speaking to someone who they don’t know, such as a bank manager or restaurant receptionist. Interestingly, however, more than two-thirds (67 per cent) have also adjusted their voice to answer the phone to someone they know, from bosses, in-laws and friends to new or potential partners, family members and parents.

The people the British nation are most likely to put on a phone voice for are their work-related contacts, with more than half (51 per cent) faking it when speaking with clients and suppliers, followed by bosses and employers (42 per cent) and restaurant receptionists (29 per cent).

Women are more likely to speak in a phone voice than men (45 per cent vs 34 per cent) and Millennials are the biggest phone voice users (60 per cent). In fact, the phone voice appears to be a generational habit with admitted use falling steadily throughout the generations (60 per cent of 18-34 vs 41 per cent of 35-54 vs 22 per cent of 55+).

Top ten people most likely to hear a phone voice

Source: Privilege Insurance
 

Dr. Becky Spelman, a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, explained: “It is easy to underestimate the extent to which we communicate with body language and facial expressions. While words give meaning, nuance is provided by the gestures and facial expressions we make. All of this nuance – and therefore a substantial percentage of our communicative intent – is lost when we are on the phone. Instinctively realising this, many of us adopt a “phone voice” that makes us feel more secure in an environment that we experience as disconcerting.

“Research shows that many of us still make snap judgements about people on the basis of factors such as accent, social class, and race. Many of these judgements are not made on a conscious level at all, but result from a lifetime of exposure to the small and major biases that we encounter in our daily lives. In this context, it often makes good sense for people to modify their manner of speaking on the phone and make it sound more “bland” – toning down a regional or cultural accent – so as to avoid falling prey to unconscious bias on the part of the listener.”

When asked why they use a phone voice, the majority of respondents claimed it creates an air of confidence (30 per cent), a quarter (25 per cent) do not actually realise when they are doing it and 24 per cent say they do so in order to sound intelligent.

A large number say they use their phone voice throughout the whole conversation (64 per cent), however, 36 per cent do not manage to keep the pretence going throughout, with the disguise being dropped after one minute and 29 seconds on average.
 

Top ten reasons people use a phone voice

Source: Privilege Insurance

The research also found that Glasgow is the home of the ‘phone voice’ (58 per cent), compared to those in Southampton, who are the least likely to have a phone voice (28 per cent).

Accent seems to be a key contributor to this regional split with 34 per cent of phone voice users in Glasgow and 44 per cent in Edinburgh claiming they use a fake voice to make the conversation easier to understand. This is compared to just ten per cent in Southampton and eight per cent in Brighton.

Dan Simson, head of Privilege home insurance, commented on the findings: “According to our research, adopting a phone voice is a popular British trait with the public utilising it as a form of natural ‘protection’ in situations that are unfamiliar or unnerving.

“Whether your surname is Bouquet or Bucket, as a provider of affordable insurance for all, we strive to provide the same reassurance to our customers through our high quality home and car insurance.” 
 

Biggest phone voice use by UK city

Source: Privilege Insurance

 ENDS
 

For more information, please contact: Fran Langdon or Laura Nugent at Van Communications:

[email protected] / laura@rtc.london / 020 3179 0720

Notes to editors:

Research was conducted by Opinium amongst 2,005 UK adults between the 16th and 19th of May 2017

*Some results indicative due to low sample size for city

Privilege

Privilege Insurance specialises in car insurance for safe drivers. It also offers home insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line.

Privilege general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Privilege and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  

Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 0515 or visiting www.privilege.co.uk