Brits love observational comedy

...but hate improv, survey finds

Observational stand-up is Britain’s favourite genre of comedy – but improv is the least-loved.

More than eight in ten people said they liked humour based on everyday situations.

At a distant second, just under half (47 per cent) of people like comedy with a more political bent that weaves in commentary on news and current affairs

Pollsters YouGov also found that dark jokes were popular – but primarily among men. Half of men enjoyed comedy about taboos, but just 29 per cent of women.

Bottom of the league was improv, favoured by 21 per cent of people.

The data comes from YouGov Profiles, which is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data is weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race to make it nationally representative.

Graph showing results

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Published: 14 Aug 2024