Letters by hand

Recent research, commissioned by Sainsbury’s Home, showed that 74% of 16-24 year olds would prefer to receive a handwritten note from friends rather than a typed note – busting the myth that young people have moved on from writing by hand.

The research also showed that the average Brit hasn’t sent a handwritten card or letter in almost 17 months, whilst the average 45-54 year old hasn’t sent a handwritten card/letter for around 20 months.

Despite these statistics it’s clear the nation is still in love with traditional penmanship – almost 68% of those questioned prefer to receive a handwritten letter or card rather than a less personal email or ecard.

A carefully penned love letter appears to be the stuff of fantasy in the UK; 12% of men haven’t sent a handwritten card or letter for over 11 years, although 71% of women would prefer to receive a handwritten note from their loved one than an email.

The national survey of 2,000 people across the UK shows a significant decline in handwritten communications although in contrast the national supermarket chain has seen a 10% year on year uplift in pen and pencil sales.

This suggests that the nation is using their pens and pencils to write shopping lists, doodle and draw or take notes at work rather than handwrite cards and letters for friends and family.

Over four and a half million pens and pencils were sold across Sainsbury’s stores last year – which, if lined up end to end in a single line, would be long enough to stretch the length of Great Britain.