Everyday life in Great Britain

The official language in the UK is English. It was estimated that 95% of the UK's population are monolingual English speakers. Four Celtic languages are spoken in the UK: Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Cornish. All are recognised as regional or minority languages. It is compulsory for pupils to study a second language up to the age of 14 in England, and up to age 16 in Scotland. French and German are the two most commonly taught second languages in England and Scotland. All pupils in Wales are taught Welsh as a second language up to age 16 or are taught in Welsh.

Forms of Christianity have dominated religious life in what is now the United Kingdom for over 1,400 years. Although a majority of citizens still identify themselves with Christianity, regular church attendance has fallen dramatically since the middle of the 20th century.

In a 2015 survey conducted by British Social Attitudes on religious affiliation, 49% of respondents indicated 'no religion', 42% indicated that they were Christians and 8% affiliated with other religions (e.g. Islam, Hinduism, Judaism etc.). Among Christians, adherents to the Church of England constituted 17%, Roman Catholic Church - 8%, other Christians (including Presbyterians, Methodists and other Protestants - 17%.

British cuisine is the specific set of cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom. It has traditionally been limited in its international recognition to the full breakfast, fish and chips, and the Christmas dinner. Other British dishes include the Sunday roast, steak and kidney pie, shepherd's pie, and bangers and mash. British cuisine has many regional varieties in England, Scotland and Wales. Each has developed its own regional or local dishes, many of which are geographically indicated foods.

The British culture develops in different spheres: literature, music, cinema, art, theatre, comedy, media, television, philosophy, architecture. The United Kingdom is also prominent in science and technology, producing world-leading scientists and inventors.

Each of the four countries of the UK has a publicly funded health care system referred to as the National Health Service (NHS).

Historically most people in the United Kingdom lived either in conjugal extended families or nuclear families. This pattern also reflected gender roles. Men were expected to go out to work and women were expected to stay at home and look after the families. In the 20th century the emancipation of women, the greater freedoms enjoyed by both men and women in the years following the Second World War and easier divorce have changed gender roles and living arrangements. The general trend is a rise in single people living alone, the virtual extinction of the extended family and the nuclear family.

Some research indicates that in the 21st century young people are tending to continue to live in the parental home for much longer than their predecessors. The high cost of living, rising cost of accommodation, further education and higher education means that many young people cannot afford to live independent lives from their families.

The top 5 pets in the UK which are kept at homes are: fish, dogs, cats, rabbits, birds.

An important part of British culture is a tradition of sending and receiving of greeting cards. The Christmas card accounts for almost half of the volume of greeting card sales in the UK, with over 600 million cards sold annually. Other popular occasions for sending greeting cards in the UK are Birthdays, St.Valentine Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day.