Preply survey on UK attitudes toward and fears about public speaking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a post at the Preply blog from the Preply Language Learning Team on April 3, 2025 titled Speak with confidence: Tackling the UK’s public speaking phobia. But it doesn’t really talk about phobia. Instead  there are results from a survey of 2,007 adults regarding their attitudes.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One bar chart (shown above) has answers for six questions about how they felt about public speaking. 21% both said “it’s fine – I will do it but don’t actively go after opportunities and “I hate it and I avoid any occasion that I have to do it. And 20% said “I don’t like it but will do it if I have to.”   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A second bar chart (shown above) has the top ten settings which caused the most anxiety. A job Interview was first at 32%, followed by Presenting in Public at 25%, and a tie between Speeches and Work Presentations at 22%. Then came Performing in Front of Others at 21% and Talking to Authority Figures at 14%. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A third bar chart (shown above) has the top ten fears while public speaking. Forgetting words was first at 36%. Then at 33% was a tie between Freezing Up and Looking foolish. Fear of Being Judged was third at 32%.

 

The cartoon of a confident female speaker came from Wikimedia Commons.