One million Brits see their parents only once per year just to watch the Grand National

RACING-ENG-NATIONAL Jockeys ride their horses after starting the Grand National Handicap Chase horse race on the final day of the Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, north west England on April 6, 2019. Tiger Roll put his name alongside legend Red Rum on Saturday winning back to back Grand Nationals in stunning style. The 4-1 favourite, superbly ridden by Davy Russell, took up the running at the last fence and although 66-1 outsider Magic of Light came back at him the nine-year-old had enough to spare to emulate Red Rums feat in 1973-74. Oli SCARFF / AFP

Over one million British adults will see their parents for the first and last time this year as they sit down to watch the Grand National this Saturday (15th April), according to new research.

The study, from GrandNational.org.uk, quizzed the British public on how they consume the historic horse racing event, finding that one million viewers watch the race with their parents, and admit it’s the only time they see them all year.

Here are some of the highlights of the research:

• 3% of Grand National viewers admit the racing event is the only reason they gather with their mum and dad
• Londoners and punters in the south west are most likely to keep parents at an arm’s length for the rest of the year
• Over four in five Brits have watched the Aintree race, which returns this Saturday

With 82% of respondents at least occasionally watching the National Hunt race, this means up to 1.16 million adults [1] could be reunited with their mum and dad this weekend for the first time in 12 months.

Londoners are the most distant when it comes to seeing their parents – 6% of the capital’s Grand National viewers (double the national average) will be spending some rare time with them for the big day at Aintree Racecourse.

Racing enthusiasts in the south west are also guilty, with as many as 4% using the race as the only excuse to see their parents this year.

Despite the promise of a family reunion though, the race is mainly a home affair, with three quarters of respondents (75%) saying they watch the action in the comfort of their own residence, while 36% of punters are happy to do so on their own.

A spokesperson for GrandNational.org.uk said: “We know that major events like the Grand National have the ability to bring everyone together, but we were pretty shocked to discover that so many adults admit it’s the only time all year that they’ll get together with their parents.

“Our research threw up some surprising results, so it’s nice to see the power of horse racing reuniting loved ones.”

Methodology and Notes:

The research was carried out online by Research Without Barriers – RWB

All surveys were conducted between 27th March 2023 and 30th March 2023

The sample comprised 2,005 UK adults

Population figures according to: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/demographics/age-groups/latest#:~:text=2021%20Census%20data%20shows%20that,aged%2040%20to%2059%20years

References:

[1] 47,205,195 UK adults x 82% who have watched the Grand National x 3% who said they only see their parents once per year to watch the event = 1,161,248 people