WTF happened to Friday? Asks new Guardian research

Nearly 70% of the UK say their weekly routine has changed dramatically in the past three years - and no day has had a bigger makeover than Friday. According to Shift Happens 2025, Friday is the happiest day of the week. The TGIF days of packed pubs may be fading, but the UK has quietly launched the four day week. More than 55% of the UK are clocking off early on a Friday, climbing to 58% for gen Z, 62% for millennials and 68% for Londoners. This research forms part of Guardian Advertising’s annual cultural lifestyle trends report, revealing five shifts in how the nation is living. For the first time, Shift Happens has gone global - teaming up with Guardian Advertising Australia who have published their own report on the Australian nation, with many similarities to the UK. A copy of the Australian report can be found here. Timemaxxing Britain is now obsessed with time, how they spend it and who it’s spent with; 64% of the UK say they “actively maximise” their time to get the most out of life, rising to 73% for Guardian readers. And the biggest timemaxxers are also the happiest. Making every moment count, people now blend chores, admin, leisure and self care into Fridays to make the most of the weekend ahead. Early bird Britain Nearly half of the UK are waking up earlier than they did three years ago. Sixty-three per cent say they rise before 7am, and for 65% the perfect day starts early and includes seeing friends. London leads the way as the early bird capital, where mornings are increasingly filled with mindfulness, walks and gym sessions before work. Weekends in high definition While timemaxxers are squeezing the most out of life, the weekend is where they cash in, making a conscious effort to make sure it’s a “proper weekend” - a weekend in high definition. Forty-five per cent of people socialise most on a Saturday, 69% have more “me-time” on weekends, with more than half of the UK (57%) declaring weekends are all about treats. Further lifestyle shifts unveiled in the research include: joy-slicing and the new homebodies. To find out more, download a copy of the Shift Happens 2025 UK report here. Imogen Fox, global chief advertising officer, Guardian Media Group, says: “Shift Happens is having real world impact, powering some of our most exciting partnerships with brands. Showing that when people shift, smart brands move with them.” James Fleetham, director of advertising, Guardian Media Group, says: “People’s lives don’t run to the same schedule they used to. Shift Happens 2025 shows that understanding how audiences use their time is key to creating relevant, resonant advertising.” Shift Happens is powered by a diverse and nationally representative survey of 1,300 adults across the UK with research partner Magenta, alongside intimate focus groups; rich first party audience insights drawn from Guardian journalism; and Guardian Voices, a proprietary research panel of 6,000 readers. If you are an advertiser interested in working with the Guardian, please contact advertising.enquiries@theguardian.com. For more information on any of the announcements made today, please contact media.enquiries@theguardian.com. [ENDS] Notes to editors Guardian Shift Happens research methodology Shift Happens 2025 was designed to find out the major shifts in how people are spending their hours, days and weeks and asking how happy they really are. Teaming up with research agency Magenta, the research methodology employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, outlined as follows: Nationwide survey: A nationwide survey study among a diverse and nationally representative sample of 1,300 adults across the UK. This included Guardian Advertising’s signature happiness index that ranked happiness levels in comparison with the year before. Focus groups: A diverse mix of 10 participants took part in a series of online group chats to get a deeper understanding of what was making them happy, and how they were spending their time. This was supplemented by a further series of online interviews with four individuals from the community, delving deeper into some of the themes that emerged. Researchers also hit the streets of Manchester on a Friday, they spoke with 64 people to find out what they were doing with their days. There were also a number of follow-up polls and discussions on key topics using Guardian Voices, a proprietary research panel of 6,000 Guardian readers. Audience insights: Using in-house analytics we looked at how Guardian readers engage with our journalism through analysing real time online browsing behaviour including attention time and how deeply an article is read. About Guardian Media Group Guardian Media Group is one of the world’s largest and most-trusted quality newsbrands, publisher of the Guardian, theguardian.com and the Guardian app. Founded over 200 years ago, the Guardian now serves audiences through five editions: Australia, Europe, International, UK and US. With no billionaire owner, the Guardian is renowned for its fearless investigative journalism, holding power to account and amplifying the stories that need to be told. Its independent ownership structure means it is free from political or commercial influence. Today, millions of people worldwide choose the Guardian’s journalism every day and more than two million readers across 180 countries have supported the Guardian’s work. Audiences can listen to the Guardian’s top-rated podcasts, watch its award-winning documentaries and interact with its growing digital portfolio, from a premium live news app to the recipe app Feast.