Atomik Research were commissioned to conduct PR research by Go Outdoors to find out more about our littering behaviour at festivals. With everything from water bottles to tents being left behind, the research looked at which us are guilty of leaving sites without our belongings and why we do it. To find out Atomik Research surveyed 2,000 respondents who have been to a festival and camped for at least one night.
Key findings from the PR research included:
- Music fans take a whopping £795 quid’s worth of gear to a festival…and leave a couple hundred quid’s worth behind.
- 26%) of those surveyed bought a tent solely to use once at a festival
- 10% of those surveyed have also left other camping equipment, such as chairs
- 30%) festival goers leave their tents and sleeping bags behind – worth an average of £140 in the mistaken belief that they are collected and given to charity.
- Litter such as empty bottles (34%), rubbish (26%) and leftover food and drink (22%) were the items more likely to be left behind.
Top ten items festival goers take to a festival
| Item | % |
| Tent | 37% |
| Toilet Paper | 33% |
| Bottled Water | 28% |
| Deodorant | 23% |
| Wet wipes | 22% |
| Phone charger | 20% |
| Alcohol | 17.3% |
| Wellies | 17.2% |
| Sunscreen | 16.6% |
| Insect repellent | 15% |
- 63% of festival goers fail to have a shower for the duration of the event
- 22% saying wet wipes are one of the most important items to take with them
- 46% say they get jiggy under canvas at a festival
The PR research survey was part of a larger integrated PR campaign created in conjunction with our parent company, 4media group, which consisted of research, broadcast PR and news generation elements. The campaign was fronted by McFly star and environmental activist, Dougie Poynter who stated: “The environmental and plastic crisis needs to be front of mind in every environment. Being at a festival ain’t no time to get slack, litter and forget about recycling. I urge festival goers to remember to re-use equipment and recycle wherever they can, just as they would if they were at home.”
The campaign achieved phenomenal coverage in press and across broadcast platforms. Highlights of the coverage included Sky Sunrise, MTV, LBC, Heart Online, The Daily Star, PA, Entertainment News, Bang Showbiz, A host of regional BBC Radio Stations including BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, and more!
