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Half of Britons can only remember ONE mobile phone number… and it’s their own, poll shows

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Half of Britons can only remember ONE mobile phone number… and it’s their own, poll shows

  • Nearly half of Brits can remember just one mobile phone number, their own
  • A third of Brits can only remember their landline number, according to the poll
  • Divide might be because the older generation learned landline numbers as children

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: | Updated:

Nearly half of Brits can remember just one mobile phone number – their own, a poll found.

And a third can only remember their landline number.

The divide might be because those over a certain age learned landline numbers as children but didn’t bother to keep this up as mobiles became the norm.

Nearly half of Brits can remember just one mobile phone number ¿ their own, a poll found (stock image)

Nearly half of Brits can remember just one mobile phone number – their own, a poll found (stock image)

It could also be because our family and friends’ contact details are now saved on our devices, so we don’t need to dial up numbers like with landlines.

Four in ten can remember one or two numbers besides their own – while only 1 percent of the population knows 11 or more.

It comes after Ofcom consigned fax machines to history – as modern alternatives make outdated customs redundant.

Tanya Abraham, of YouGov, which carried out the poll, said: ‘Some people remember lots of landline numbers from when they were kids, or when they were younger phoning their friends’ home phones.’

The research sparked a huge debate when it was discussed on radio station 5Live.

Comedian and radio host Elis James, 42, admitted: ‘I don’t remember my partner’s number, but I do remember the phone number of a girl I had a crush on in 1995.

‘Where does YouGov stand on that?’

A similar poll earlier this year also found Brits have been left furious by the way people lay out their phone numbers.

A similar poll earlier this year also found Brits have been left furious by the way people lay out their phone numbers (stock image)

A similar poll earlier this year also found Brits have been left furious by the way people lay out their phone numbers (stock image)

More than half (54 per cent) prefer to set out their number by saying the first five digits, before pausing and rattling off the rest in sets of three.

But 12 percent opt ​​for a 4-3-4 format and one in ten go for a 5-2-2-2 gambit.

One listener – called Quentin – raged: ‘I listened with increasing horror to your conversation about the manner in which to convey telephone numbers.

‘Hearing people get this wrong infuriates me and seeing it set out wrong on a business card results in the card going in the bin.’

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