A roast dinner, stripping off at the first sight of sun and apologising all the time: survey reveals the most British things EVER 

• e-mail

The humble roast dinner is the most iconic thing about Britain - and stripping off at the first sign of sun is our most common trait, according to new research.

A detailed study, the 'Britishness Audit', found that nothing encapsulates our national identity better than a piece of beef, roast potatoes and a Yorkshire pudding.

The ever-present Sunday meal pipped fish and chips and the BBC in second and third respectively to be named the most British thing imaginable.

A traditional British roast dinner with roast beef, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings (file image) is the most iconic thing about Britain

But when it comes to our national traits the list was topped by wearing summer clothes at the first glimpse of sun, apologising too often, talking about the weather - and making a cup of tea in response to a crisis.

The famous British stiff upper lip is also highlighted in the top 10, as well as declaring 'it's fine' when faced with poor customer service and queuing for absolutely anything.

The 2016 Britishness Audit, commissioned by Tetley, involved an analysis of the British Social Attitudes survey by NatCen Social Research and a poll of 2,000 people by OnePoll.

Fish and chips have also been be named one of the most British things imaginable (file image)

When asked what the country's national emblem should be, most Brits say a cup of tea (32 per cent), closely followed by Big Ben (31 per cent), with the Queen's face coming third.

The NatCen report reveals that the majority of Brits (82 per cent) are proud of their nationality and 62 per cent of people who live in Britain say they'd rather be citizens of Britain than anywhere else.

The report also explores who in this country feels most proud, and reveals that older people are more positive than their feelings about Britain appear to be, with 66 per cent of those aged 75 and older saying they were 'very proud' of being British, compared with just 20 per cent of those age 18-29.

The study revealed that Britons make a cup of tea when they have no time to drink it and even in response to a crisis (file image)

Ian Simpson, senior researcher at NatCen, said yesterday: 'The notion that the people who inhabit this particular set of islands have strong emotional attachments to our nation is an enduring one. 

'Our report delves a little deeper into these feelings of national pride, and who exactly is feeling them.

'Differences in age, gender and education have an impact on the depth of patriotic feeling - but the report reveals that feelings of national pride still run high, with eight in ten people saying they feel proud to be British.'

When it comes to recent events, the poll shows that British pride was at its peak during the 2012 Olympics, which was voted the most rewarding time to be British.

This chimes with the NatCen report findings that national pride is linked to our sporting achievements, with 73 per cent of Brits feeling proud when the country does well in international sports.

The Queen becoming our longest serving monarch and the 70-year commemoration of VE Day also make the top of the list of events that make us feel most proud of Britain.

Tetley commissioned the audit to mark the latest Tea Folk adventure - a new TV ad which sees national treasures Gaffer, Sydney and Tina stroll back in time to celebrate the best things about Britain.

Along with tea, the Royal Family and James Bond, Big Ben is such an iconic part of Britishness (file image)

When it comes to recent events, the poll shows that British pride was at its peak during the 2012 Olympics, which was voted the most rewarding time to be British.

This chimes with the NatCen report findings that national pride is linked to our sporting achievements, with 73 per cent of Brits feeling proud when the country does well in international sports.

The Queen becoming our longest serving monarch and the 70-year commemoration of VE Day also make the top of the list of events that make us feel most proud of Britain.

Tetley commissioned the audit to mark the latest Tea Folk adventure - a new TV ad which sees national treasures Gaffer, Sydney and Tina stroll back in time to celebrate the best things about Britain.

Getting sunburnt on the first warm day of the year comes in at number 13 on the Most Common British Traits list (file image) 

Cassie Shuttlewood, Senior Brand Manager at Tetley, said: 'Our new ad is all about celebrating Britain's greatest moments - the people and events that fill the nation with pride.

' And we wanted to explore this a little further with our audit, shining a light on how Brits feel about the country and the things people associate with Britishness.

'An interesting finding is that patriotic feeling seems to increase with age - perhaps because the older you are, the more tea you tend to drink! We are heartened and proud to see that a cup of tea is high on the list of British icons.

'Tea is such an iconic part of Britishness, right up there with the Royal Family, James Bond and Big Ben. Nothing in the UK starts without a cuppa - and we'd like to invite the nation to raise a cup to celebrate the very best of British.' 

Wearing summer clothing at the first sight of sun tops the list of Most Common British Traits (file image)