Manchester has won the battle of break-up etiquette after research found 70% of Mancunians are more likely to end a relationship face-to-face.
The city topped the national average at 57% as the rest of the UK opted for e-mail, texts and social media as their preferred methods of ditching their other halves, according to Mobiles.co.uk research.
Glasgow (67%) followed Manchester – but topped the polls for city most likely to retain an ex’s phone number – with Sheffield (64%), Leeds (63%) and Bristol (57%) next up.
Abby Francis, Social Media and Mobile Expert for Mobiles.co.uk, commented on the results: “It’s nice to see that people in Manchester haven’t forgotten other methods, like the good old-fashioned phone call, when it’s now so easy to let the ‘un-friend’ button do the talking on social media.”
“Relationships can be tricky enough without technology getting in the way, so we wanted to see just how big a role it plays in break-ups.
“It’s surprising to see how different people and age groups use social media when the road to romance gets a bit rocky – and that younger people don’t always go down the most modern route to becoming single.”
Only 3% of Mancunians kept their former lover’s number while one-in-three (36%) optimistic Glaswegians hang on to ex’s number in the hope of winning them back – hopefully not to deliver a Glasgow kiss in revenge.
Generally men are quicker to cut contact with old flames as 94% delete their ex’s phone number within a month of breaking up.
Those who do decide to keep hold of a women’s phone number are almost twice as likely to do so in order to try to win them back.
Londoners are more likely to break the news over social media at 32% and heartbreakers in Cardiff most often end a relationship over the phone at 48%.
On a whole, men are more likely to end their relationship in the flesh at 60% but are also more likely to have ‘the talk’ over the phone (41%) and with one-in-five doing their dirty work over social media.
Women, on the other hand, are more likely to cut ties on social media, with 40% removing all exes, compared to 33% of men.
Usually 18-24-year-olds are most likely to end it via the traditional coward’s way out of a phone call at 64%.
But 25-34-year-olds opt for social media to split, including Facebook and Twitter (43%).
The study was based on an independent survey of 1001 UK respondents by YourSaysPays.
Image courtesy of opacity with thanks
