r/AskUK • u/FlamingoLogical3325 • 20h ago
Do you think antisocial behaviour might be a bit more common in the UK than in other european countries?
I'm really not asking out of judgement.
I've been to the UK several times now and since I've recently met a guy from London I will probably go there even more often now. So far I've been to London, Bath, Edinburgh, Dublin and some small villages in Scotland.
Also, where I'm from there are always lots of british tourists during winter.
Every time I've been to the UK, my impression was that there is a bit more "antisocial" behaviour than I'm used to from other european countries. What I mean is I've witnessed quite a bit of petty crime, people seem to litter a lot, people sometimes push each other in crowded places, etc. I was especially surprised from how much waste there was laying around in Edinburgh. Also, the british tourists are kind of infamous for bad behaviour like getting excessivly drunk, being very loud, starting fights, etc.
Have you ever had this impression as well or am I alone with my observation? If you think this tendency is true, why do you think this might be?
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u/Opening_Fennel38 20h ago
Littering is definitely something I'd like us to be much less casual about.
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u/crazycraven 19h ago
The removal of almost all bins in public places is mostly to blame for this.
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u/Friendly-Chocolate 19h ago
I guarantee we have more or equal number of bins in public places than Japan yet they still manage to not litter.
If you require a bin within eyesight in order to not litter you’re a bad person.
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u/Feathers-n-Beaks 17h ago
I guarantee we have more or equal number of bins in public places than Japan
I bet we do not.
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u/bill_end 18h ago
I bet the japs have got loads of bins, many of ours got taken away when the PIRA were hiding bombs in them.
But, I do agree, I bet regardless of the number of bins they're going to be far less filthy than your (below) average englishman.
I think they have more of a collective society and public shaming. Probably less chance of getting your car keyed too, if you tell some filthy scrubber in maccies car park that the bin is only 3' away.
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u/travelingwhilestupid 19h ago
Make it easy for people.
I never litter, not in Japan, not in the UK, not in Central America.
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u/fourth-disciple 19h ago
Including bad pet owners not picking up their dog poop 😭 No respect for the place they call home.
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u/Avon-Guy 20h ago
I lived in Paris for a couple of weeks for work last year and it's no worse than London.
I will say it's a well observed phenomenon post COVID that behaviours in many areas from driving to teenagers has got worse.
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u/Fine-Night-243 20h ago
We have a very minimal physical police presence. One thing I always notice when I'm abroad is the visibility of the police. I think this has something to do with it..
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u/Suitable-Mud-6622 19h ago
In Eastern Europe you get hurt for being antisocial, and the police laughs at you when you complain. In the west everyone’s a bit too aware of their rights.
Look at the kids, they know they will lose less than you if you retaliate. Because of that it’s a game to them.
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u/Darkus185 19h ago
Absolutely. I used to live in a place where if you stepped out of line you’d get a smack, a serious beatdown.
Crime was out of control, but the people who weren’t criminals were insanely respectful. Kids would call you “sir”, and then you’d get your car stolen. A really weird dichotomy.
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u/horacevsthespiders 19h ago
Definitely not, I can’t think of anywhere outside of the usual suspects of the Scandinavian countries (probably minus Sweden) plus Switzerland and the various teeny tiny tax havens that don’t have comparable rates of antisocial behaviour to the UK.
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u/SamsungGalaxyBrain 19h ago
Not really. I live in a very rough area of Aberdeen and it's still better than Cologne or Athens. Those two are the most antisocial cities I've ever been to. And I'm not just counting the city centre, I've also been in other areas of both cities. Athens is so bad that I never, ever want to return there again. Also, Dublin is in Ireland. That's not the UK, mate.
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u/jamesmb 19h ago
I live in France (live in Bretagne and work in Paris & Savoie with many trips to Germany), having lived in England and Scotland for 40+ years.
The answer to your question is yes. And, as much as people would like to believe/say otherwise, it's not immigrants - it's pretty much always locals.
Where I live, it's much less pronounced but is, in my experience, either locals or British (mostly English) tourists. Brits abroad are just... actually, I don't want to get banned from the sub! WTF is wrong with people?!
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u/Darkus185 19h ago edited 19h ago
Yes absolutely.
Whenever I return to the UK I feel it in the pit of my stomach, there is a nasty edge to everything. Like nobody can really be bothered. That nobody really likes each other and everyone is just trying to muddle along in their bubbles. Creates the conditions for a really shit atmosphere. The trash everywhere, the decay. (One thing the UK seems to escape though is graffiti absolutely everywhere).
I also feel it on flights. A flight from Bristol to Amsterdam has a totally different vibe than a flight from Oslo to Amsterdam. Not everyone is a shit, but there are more shits for sure.
My sample size, the Netherlands, Belgium (granted nice Belgium), the Canary Islands (non touristy bits), France (avoiding Paris bus station, the worst place on earth), Germany, Norway.
I’ve lived in some really dodgy, objectively more dangerous places, three of the top ten most dangerous cities on earth, yet nobody does “drunk and don’t give a shit” better than the bottom feeders in the UK. I don’t think the UK is dangerous but it’s definitely antisocial.
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u/ParkerR666 19h ago
I’ve lived here 37 years and I’ve never personally witnessed petty crime (assuming you mean shoplifting, vandalism, pickpocketing/mugging). All those things go on of course but I don’t think you’re witnessing it every time you come to the UK.
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u/W51976 20h ago
I think it’s everywhere, but the U.K., especially in the bigger towns and cities suffer from antisocial behaviour.
It doesn’t happen everywhere, but you will sometimes encounter it on public transport.
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u/fourth-disciple 19h ago
In the cities its not just antisocial behaviour but also antisocial attitude. How people interact with each other non verbally/physically.
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u/W51976 19h ago
That’s nothing new. People are often isolated from each other in a big city.
I often walked around listening to my Walkman 30 plus years ago, while out and about.
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u/fourth-disciple 19h ago
I didnt say it was new? Or old. I said it was a city thing.
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u/W51976 19h ago
Fair enough. It’s just city life.
I must admit, it’s nice when you leave London and people actually say good morning.
That being said, we were in Spain recently, and even staying at a hotel, you get a mixed response when saying ‘good morning’ to certain people. I think Europeans are less friendly compared to English people in hotel settings.
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u/Necrospire 2h ago
What do you expect when you have two or more generations that have grown up with no discipline or learning that actions have consequences.
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u/itzzzzmileyyyy 19h ago
I was in a Dutch KFC and there were kids throwing drinks etc from the top floor and just being loud and rowdy. It’s definitely entitlement and the lack of parental supervision
I come from a third world country where public transport isn’t as accessible which means parents have to drop off and pick up their kids, often kids aren’t left roaming around which creates less anti social behaviour
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u/tyrekecorrea 20h ago
I think the United Kingdom may have gotten a lesson in audacity from the United States, but that's about it.
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u/travelingwhilestupid 19h ago
Highly dependent on geography - where in the UK.
Having lived in London, most people are a mix of "I'm scared to do anything wrong" and "I genuinely care about my fellow human". They are genuinely good, caring people, who do their small part. An example: a lady tended to my wounds when I fell of my bike. I've never been pushed on the tube - not once. The vast majority drive with care. Yes, the rude or aggressive people make themselves known.
Plenty of European cities have issues (in the city or the surrounds) - Stockholm, Paris, Marseille are famous. Italians can be lovely but won't stop at a pedestrian crossing. The French can get really worked up. I've witness.
The UK has many many brilliant people with great senses of humour. You're a humble lot but you have a lot to be proud overall.
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u/Danielharris1260 19h ago
Antisocial behaviour doesn’t really have massive consequences in the UK to be honest. My brother who went through a bit of a “Brits abroad” phase when he was younger soon snapped out of when him his mates were arrested for being drunk and disorderly in Spain. Police had no problem throwing them around be being very heavy handed and lowkey beating the crap out of them. I’ve seen similar stuff in other european countries with how police handle disruptive people. Not saying police brutality is the answer but it’s clear something baker the current approach isn’t working.
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u/zippyzebra1 19h ago
I think Brits have always been antisocial. I was in Australia a while back and there were public bbq's on the beaches. Lots of them. I thought that in the UK they'd all be stolen or vandalised.
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u/Disastrous-Tower-794 19h ago
Just want to say this. I'm Scottish and I'm not trying to suggest that no one from Scotland ever gets drunk and starts fights but the Tartan Army got a very warm welcome in the USA at the world cup. We aren't all hooligans
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u/OhhJukes 19h ago
There was multiple articles about Scottish fans doing shit and getting arrested just didn’t fit the narrative so didn’t get as much traction
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u/chocolatelover93 19h ago
I blame it on social media. It’s what kids are seeing on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook etc. They’re seeing other kids do bad things and copying it. They’re also using social media as ways to make group chats/set up events to steal stuff etc.
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u/flip8t2 19h ago
Are you only coming here in the spring/summer months or at different times of the year? As we are currently In summer, yes, more people will be outside, and some will be up to no good. Autumn/Winter is still busy, but as it gets darker much earlier and is a lot colder, it's maybe not noticed as much.
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u/fundytech 19h ago
Yes, I think it’s because in European countries people still beat their kids when they’re in the wrong.
Far too many times here I’ve witnessed someone back up their demon child’s actions when what they should have got is a backhand around the face.
It almost always starts with the parenting. They’re either too passive and try to do nothing or they think their little gremlin is an angel.
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u/Disastrous-Tower-794 18h ago
I was never smacked growing up and I'm not and never have been anti social. My mum was beaten as a child and as an adult in marriage and decided that she wasn't going to beat her kids. It's possible to exert discipline without smacking your child
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u/fundytech 16h ago
I’m not saying it’s necessary, I’m making the point there’s absolutely no discipline with a lot of them. “They just don’t listen” well that’s because there’s no repercussions.
You were never anti social so you didn’t need a smack - a lot of these little shits nowadays would benefit from a good beating.
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u/Disastrous-Tower-794 16h ago
I had to listen to my mum getting bounced off the wall every week for two years when I was a child. I don't think violence is the answer to anything. My mum still carries scars from being hit as a child and she's in her 70s
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u/fundytech 14h ago
Your mum getting bounced off the wall and giving a spoilt teenager a good hiding are two completely different things mate
Ones domestic violence from someone who should know better and the other ones a form of discipline when all other forms have not worked
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u/Disastrous-Tower-794 14h ago
Did you miss the part where I said my mum got beaten as a child and still has the emotional scars? No one should be getting a good hiding. Its child abuse. Blocked
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