This is you, guv: how YouGov knows what you're really like

We see you, dear reader, sitting there enjoying the Evening Standard from cover to cover  — but what are you really like? Thanks to the addictive YouGov Profiles Rosamund Urwin has sized you up
You are what you read: how we've sussed you out (Picture: Alamy)
Rosamund Urwin19 November 2014

London will not have been at peak productivity this week. Across the capital, workers have been sucked into a YouGov-built vortex, using the pollster’s Profiler app to find out what they can about the fans of celebrities, companies and sports teams (what they read, eat, wear and watch). Afternoons were annihilated. Deadlines were missed. As water-cooler and Twitter talking points go, it is basically a highbrow, geeky version of Kim Kardashian’s arse.

YouGov used data from 190,000 of its members — the most active of its panel of 450,000 UK citizens — to construct the data behemoth. So what were a few of the top revelations? Fans of Jason Orange (the ex-member of Take That who didn’t have a tax adviser on speed-dial) are more Right-wing than Ukip supporters. Those who are interested in economics can be “arrogant”, “demanding” and “confrontational” (who knew?); they’re Right-wing, wear Ralph Lauren, bank at Barclays and are far too unsentimental to have a pet. Fifty Shades of Grey lovers are essentially Anastasia Steele: “loving” and “big-hearted” but “dizzy”, with a predilection for sadistic and powerful men (they’re big Simon Cowell and Jeremy Kyle fans). Jeremy Clarkson devotees are the kind of people you’d pay to avoid at parties.

But how does it all work? “The app looks at how these people compare with their peers,“ Graeme Ford, director of YouGov Profiles, explains. “So rather than showing the average reader of a newspaper, say, or the average person to watch a TV show, it shows things that are more likely to be true for that group — things that are particularly true of those people.” So it doesn’t average out character traits, it looks at where they differ from the norm. It also excludes children: Taylor Swift fans aren’t really all over 18.

The app is a marketing tool for YouGov’s bigger (paid-for) version, Profiles, a media planning tool for agencies and their brands that has much more data and many more profiles. You can also break it down much further — researching what sets apart fans of The Muppet Christmas Carol who also like chinchillas and Ed Miliband. If you so wish.

“It’s also about giving something back to the people who gave us all their information,” says Ford. “We can tell a lot about these groups: what media they consume, their favourite colours, even what types of angels they believe in.”

So, working on the principle “you are what you read” we wanted to know what the app told us about our readers — or, in pollster jargon, “what differentiates Evening Standard readers from the sample set [everyone else in the UK]”. So, er, who are you guys?

Who you are

The Evening Standard’s readership is skewed towards the younger end (25-39) demographically and (surprise!) those who like the brand usually live in London, on the South coast or in East Anglia. According to YouGov’s cartoon embodiment of our reader, below, you also look (and dress) freakishly like Standard feature writer Joshi Herrmann (something he probably won’t be pleased I’ve mentioned).

Career-wise, you’re far more likely to work in business than the average UK professional, while other popular industries include finance, the media, publishing and advertising. Government, the civil service, consulting and law also feature prominently.

In personality terms, you’re a so-called “Alpha”, more likely to describe yourself as a leader, analytical and youthful than other people are. Your less adorable traits include being “demanding” (as though that’s a bad thing), “arrogant” and “control-freaky”. Motivation comes naturally: you seize opportunities, are unfazed by change and enjoy challenging situations.

What you believe

You’re up on life and may well be down with God. Standard readers are more likely to want to surround themselves with “a diverse range of cultures and ideas” — hence the big draw of the capital. They’re also more likely to consider faith and spirituality central to their life, perhaps reflecting the higher number of non-British-born residents of London compared with the rest of the UK. A close bunch of mates is also more integral to your happiness.

Although the Standard reader skews ever so slightly towards the Right on the political spectrum, they also tend to be pro-immigration. Presumably reflecting London’s status as a city which acts as a magnet for industrious foreigners, you’re much more likely to believe that “immigrants generally work harder than people born in Britain”.

What you eat

You eat out. A lot. And when you don’t, you’re a fan of (healthy-ish) takeaways and speed eats because you’re too busy to go the whole cordon bleu hog every night. It’s fresh over frozen for you, though (at least: that’s the dream) and you prefer to buy from the posher supermarkets — Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer.

You’re also likely to be an experimental eater, happy to try sea bream sashimi or braised endive, and you know what boquerones are (Google tells me they’re a form of tapa with anchovies). You probably go to Wagamama — and sometimes don’t even order the chicken katsu curry; edamame and pork gyoza are favourite sides. Pret sandwiches are a lunch staple and you wish Caffè Nero coffee could be delivered by drip.

How you work it all off

There may well be Lycra in your wardrobe. A lot of Lycra. Presumably reflecting the younger demographic profile, Standard readers are a fitness-focused bunch and are much more likely to include exercise, cycling, hiking and sports on their hobby list than the average UK resident. Sports-wise, tennis (left) and cricket are very popular.

What you wear

Despite London’s high rents and property prices, Standard readers are more likely to have a high disposable income (£1,000 or more a month once bills are paid). A good chunk of that goes on style. You lot are “early-adopters” of fashion trends, are likely to be well dressed and believe that it’s worth investing in better quality products that last, paying a premium rather than opting for the throw-away option. For casualwear you shop in Uniqlo, Gap and Zara; at the luxury end there’s Mulberry and Selfridges and for workwear, TM Lewin and Charles Tyrwhitt.

What you do for fun

Website-wise, you’re a diverse bunch: The Economist, Lonely Planet, the New Scientist and House & Garden are all very popular. Oh, and you spend a lot of time on Transport for London’s website, presumably cursing TfL’s amazing knack for carrying out engineering works on the weekend when you need to trek across London to the party of the year.

You love Radio 4, The IT Crowd and The Big Bang Theory, and top people to follow on Twitter include the Newsnight presenters Evan Davis and Laura Kuenssberg, but you actually watch much less TV than the average UK citizen. Top films include The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle, while bands that are especially popular with Standard readers include Arcade Fire, Air, Röyksopp, Skunk Anansie and Gorillaz.

On Facebook, fictional characters Evening Standard readers are more inclined to “like” include Kermit the Frog, Stewie Griffin (Family Guy), Scooby-Doo, the Fresh Prince and Father Jack Hackett; I shall reserve comment here. Oh, and you flirt with lots of different dating sites: OK Cupid, Guardian Soulmates, Tinder, Grindr and Match. Obviously, any of these additional activities are for once you’ve inhaled the Standard cover to cover...

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