Press releases

ST.GEORGE OR ST.GEORGINA? SIR CLIFF VOTED NATION'S SAINT (23/04/2007)

Why is he our patron Saint? Is he even English? With St. George’s Day looming a new poll from Combined Insurance reveals that Sir Cliff Richard is the public figure most people would like to adopt as the national saint – and around two in five people would like a female figure.

At a time when there has been significant debate on the country’s sense of identity and patriotism, the Combined Insurance poll asked 500 people which celebrity or public figure they think would be the most suitable replacement for St.George in terms of embodying modern English values:

• Grey power: Sir Cliff Richard topped the poll (23%), his popularity driven by the over 50s (28%) and still being a top hit with the ladies.

• St.Georgina: The second, third and fourth choices in the poll were all female figures - Helen Mirren (22%), Dawn French (9%) and Carol Thatcher (8%). The findings suggest that a nation that has grown up with a Queen feels more comfortable with a female patron.

• Comedy extra: Comic hero Ricky Gervais ranked fifth overall (7%) but was the number one choice among English teenagers (18%).

• Politically correct? Despite attempts by politicians to become trendy, neither Tony Blair (4%) nor David Cameron (1%) held strong appeal as the new face of the nation.

Nigel Brittle, Marketing Director at Combined Insurance commented: "Whilst intended as a bit of fun, our poll comes at a time when awareness of St George is in decline. Around two in five people surveyed had no idea on which date St George’s Day fell*.

“Furthermore, our ongoing research into the nation’s sense of community spirit shows that many people define their loyalties to their county or their village, rather than their national flag**. There is also evidence to suggest that the repeated challenges to community life in modern Britain, such as the loss of local services and increased commuting, have resulted in a more local sense of community that people are more willing to defend. So the spirit of Saint George is alive and well even if the face of the saint is seen to be due for a change."

The Real St George

• The Real St George was a soldier of the Roman Empire and was from Antolia, now modern day Turkey, and lived in the 3rd Century.

• He was venerated as a martyr saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is immortalised in the tale of George and the Dragon.

• St George died fighting against the torture of Christians by the Romans. He was captured and tortured for his beliefs, but stayed true to his Christian faith.

• St George’s flag, now the national flag of England, was first adopted by Richard the Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th Century.

• St George is also the patron saint of Canada, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal and Serbia

More information on St George is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George

For more information or to arrange interviews please contact:
Jo Winser / Guy Bellamy FD Consumer Dynamics 020 7269 7177 / 7236 Jo.winser@fd.com

Footnotes
* In a separate research question, 40% of Britons did not know when St George’s Day fell. More information on this research is available from FD Consumer Dynamics.
** In previous research, Combined Insurance asked a GB representative sample of more than 2,000 whether they had stronger allegiances to their local area, region, country or Europe. 22% of Britons had stronger allegiances to their local areas than their national flag (press release available on request).

Notes to editors
- Research was carried out by YouGov amongst a GB representative sample of more than 500 people in March 2007.
- In 2007 Combined Insurance is investing is local communities in the UK and Ireland through two community investment programmes – the “Make it Happen” awards focused on consumer groups, charities and clubs and the “Combined Insurance Enterprise Awards” supporting local small businesses.
- Since 1919, Combined Insurance has specialised in bringing affordable, quality insurance products to individuals and families - and currently provides supplemental disability, accident, health and life cover to over 3.5 million policyholders.