Metfriendly's 2020 Christmas Quiz provided some fascinating insights into everything from police officers' thoughts on the past year, to hopes and ambitions for 2021.
Well, it's that time of year again. Christmas is upon us, and while the festive season will look very different for most of us in 2020, there's always one thing you can rely on: the annual Metfriendly Christmas Quiz!
We asked you to spill the beans on everything from how 2020 has been for you (spoiler: not easy!), to your hopes and plans for 2021. There was even a little test of your Christmas general knowledge in there.
Here's a summary of the results:
The challenges of 2020
When we asked you to name your biggest challenge of 2020, we got an interesting range of results that underlined just how demanding the year has been.
As far as work is concerned, the most common responses included enforcing the latest COVID regs, the risks of being in regular contact with the public and the entirely new experience of doing police work from home. And apparently, another big challenge of working for the Met is finding a fork in a police station!
We received quite a few responses from new recruits who were starting the job in these unique circumstances, as well as more seasoned officers and staff getting ready for retirement.
On the personal front, there was a strong mental health theme in your answers, with many of you saying you had experienced anxiety this year and found it difficult not seeing close family and friends. One respondent compared the isolation to when they worked night duty all the way back in 1968.
You also shared some pretty remarkable parenting stories with us. One mum found herself looking after her two-year-old while pregnant (and working from home), while another had to go through childbirth with no outside support.
Another respondent faced the torment of trying to type while a new puppy bit their hands.
All things considered, it's safe to say it's been a difficult year, and the 'Keep calm and carry on' approach has been crucial in helping 38% of you get through it. More than a quarter (28%) of you benefited most from the support of friends and family, while 14% couldn't have got through it without a steady supply of beer and wine.
When we asked for your word or phrase of the year, 'lockdown' (23%) came out on top, closely followed by 'social distancing' (20%). About one in eight of you (12%) plumped for 'Covidiot', but only 7% thought 'bog roll bandits' adequately summed up the year.
As for your thoughts on your chosen phrase, 38% of you said it has been useful this year, but you'd quite happily never hear it again!
How's your Christmas trivia?
In a new feature of the quiz this year, we thought we'd test you on your Christmas general knowledge, and all in all, we were pretty impressed.
Most of you (62%) knew Home Alone 2 was the Christmas film that features a cameo by Donald Trump, however nearly 18% still went for The Muppet Christmas Carol… we think there might have been some leg-pulling going on there.
Impressively, 58% of respondents knew that Last Christmas by Wham! was at number two in the Christmas chart back in 1984, and 49% knew that Die Hard is set in Los Angeles. Shockingly, three people thought that festive favourite took place in London!
Onwards and upwards
Looking ahead to 2021, we can only hope it's a bit less eventful than 2020. More than four out of ten of our survey respondents said just getting back to normal after the pandemic would make next year a great one, while 34% of you were looking forward to a proper holiday - and you weren't fussy about where.
We also gained some interesting insights into your financial goals for next year. About a third (33%) of you said you're hoping to make a big purchase like a car or holiday, nearly a quarter (24%) will be getting ready for retirement and 16% of you said you'd like to buy your first home.
Finally, to celebrate the Metfriendly 2021 Calendar, sales of which will raise money for the London Retired Police Dogs Trust, we asked you to pick the perfect gift for a trusty police dog.
Some dog-friendly pigs in blankets was the clear winner, with 42% of the vote, followed by a festive treat selection (27%). Only 2% chose the comedy reindeer antlers for dogs, which seems like a very sensible outcome.
Once again, we were thrilled with the responses to our quiz this year, so a big thank you to all those who took part.
Metfriendly wishes you a safe and happy Christmas, and here's to a much quieter 2021!
If you would like to talk to us over the Christmas period about starting a savings plan, please note our opening hours.
