Shropshire Star

Recognise her? It's you! Is this the profile of a true Salopian?

Buying food from Aldi, taking a drive out in the Skoda to go birdwatching, followed by a quiet night in with Miss Marple.

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How YouGov's data differentiates people with an interest in Shropshire from their comparison set

Sound familiar? It should do. According to pollsters YouGov, that is the profile of the typical Salopian.

The company has used its polling data to provide a detailed snapshot of what the average Shropshire resident looks like in relation to the rest of the country, and the findings make for fascinating reading.

The results found that people in the county are typically aged over 60, more likely to be female than male, and slightly left-wing in their political leanings.

When it comes to their food, people in the county are quite cosmopolitan in their outlook, with game sausages, German ice cream and Kasekrainer (Austrian-style cheese-filled sausages) their favourite dishes.

Salopians describe themselves as being environmentally aware, idiosyncratic and independeny, but admit to on occasion being gloomy, prone to keeping quiet about things, and intolerant.

Surprisingly for a county with no first-class side, cricket is Shropshire's favourite sport, followed by skiing and the winter games.

People tend to follow gentle, nature-based pursuits, with birdwatching the county's favourite hobby, followed by gardening and hiking, and it seems we are a county of dog lovers with canines being our preferred choice of pet.

People in Shropshire prefer to shop at local businesses, and like to know where their products are made or grown, and are also reluctant to purchase genetically modified foods.

However, they also have an eye for a bargain, and are particularly keen on German discount retailer Aldi. They do not seem to rate Britain's two largest supermarkets, though, being far less likely than average to shop at Tesco or Aldi.

What you're watching and listening to - according to YouGov

It seems that people of the county are similarly contrary when it comes to where they buy their threads. While budget clothes store Primark topped the list of shops or services used by people in Shropshire, upmarket Austin Reed came top of the preferred clothing brands.

Favourite music artists of typical Salopians allegedly include Tom Waits and Chet Baker, and among the list of favourite celebrities are Mark Lawson and John Peel.

Among their general interests are dance and ballet, and they like to spend their time birdwatching. Favourite foods include kasekrainer. If you have no idea what kasekrainer is, then presumably you are not a typical Salopian.

Top Shropshire sports are cricket and skiing. Yes, at all those Shropshire ski slopes.

At least these findings will give Salopians something to talk about other than the weather. Another surprising finding is that average Salopians tend to be slightly left-wing. As four of the five Shropshire MPs are Tories, Shropshire voters must have a funny turn at election times.

It appears that HSBC, which brands itself as the world's local bank, is also Shropshire's favourite bank, while a Skoda appears to be the car of choice for people in the county.

When it comes to television, it seems people in the county have rather sedate tastes, with Agatha Christies's Marple, Canal Walks with Julia Bradbury, and Andrew Marr's History of the World firm favourites. Doctor Who Confidential and Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure also figure highly, along with The Life of Mammals, Railway Walks, The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, Brideshead Revisited and

We are also fairly traditional in our choice of favourite celebrities, with Hollywood legend James Stewart topping the list, followed by An American In Paris star Leslie Caron. Darling Buds of May actress Pam Ferris, is also popular, along with arts journalist Mark Lawson and Shrewsbury-educated DJ John Peel.

When it comes to movies, it again seems people in the county have cosmopolitan, European tastes. Dark crime drama The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on a novel by Swedish author Stieg Larsson, scores particularly highly, followed by French films Amelie and La Vie en Rose. More traditional choices are 1941 Humphrey Bogart film The Maltese, and historical drama Chariots of Fire.

Does this sound like you?

Musical tastes are ecletic to say the least. American singer-songwriter Tom Waits is a firm favourite, followed by singer Kirsty MacColl and jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. Seventies star Elkie Brooks and R'n'B singer Randy Crawford make up the unlikely record collection.

It seems that people in the county are not huge users of the internet, spending an average of one to five hours a week online.

  • Does this sound like you? Have pollsters YouGov identified what defines a true Salopian? Let us know in the comment box below.

  • Want to find out more - you can 'search for any brand, person or thing' at https://yougov.co.uk/profiler#

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