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The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
The sex sabbatical: could taking a break from intimacy improve your life?
Name: The sex break. Age: Perennial. Appearance: Surprisingly frequent. Taking a break to have sex? You mean like at work? This is taking a break from sex. What? Who wants to do that? Er, 24% of American adults, according to a new survey. Why? Reasons vary, from 'wanting to learn other forms of intimacy' to favouring 'emotional closeness over physical connection'. All I'll say to that is: be careful what you wish for, survey respondents. In addition, 52% of the 2,000 adults surveyed said they had previously taken an extended break from sex, lasting six months on average. So? I've managed that – and then some. I think they mean on purpose. Everybody says it was on purpose afterwards. Who commissioned this survey? The sexual wellness brand Lelo. What does 'sexual wellness' mean? They sell vibrators, mainly. Sounds as if they have a vested interest in these survey results. 'Taking breaks from sex or focusing on other forms of physical intimacy can actually enhance a sex life,' says Lelo's chief marketing officer, Luka Matutinovic. Oh yeah? How? 'By reducing pressure and fostering exploration, as well as introducing new additions to your routine, like sex toys …' I knew it. In any case, most of those who had taken a sex sabbatical were very positive about it: 53% said it helped them appreciate sex more. It will tend to do that. But it's not all good news. None of this is good news so far. According to the survey, 30% of Americans believe romance is dead. I'm not surprised – what's the point? Fortunately, 69% of those not in relationships said they were happy being single. Good for them. What about the ones who are in a relationship? Forty-seven per cent of them said it can be healthy for a couple to have a sex break. Oh my word. On the other hand, 44% said their relationship wouldn't last a year without sex. Oh, naive respondents – you might surprise yourselves. Indeed. So if Americans are taking sex breaks and sabbaticals intentionally, does that mean they're having less sex than they used to? The latter assertion seems unquestionable – the percentage of American men and women not having sex has risen by every measure since 1982. That's quite an alarming statistic. Not if you own a vibrator company. Do say: 'Oh look, Newsnight's on.' Don't say: 'Could we try taking a break from taking a break?'
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Consumer Sentiment Logs First Increase in 6 Months, Survey Confirms
US consumer sentiment rose for the first time in six months in June, final survey results from the U
Finextra
20 hours ago
- Business
- Finextra
Why do customers and business leaders diverge on client experience views?
0 This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team based upon its relevance and interest to our community. Customers aren't 'buying' companies' improved customer experience (CX) claims or promises, and company leaders aren't buying the value of spending more to delight the customer. At least not in large percentages on either side of the commerce spectrum, according to a recent global study. When it comes to the leaders of the companies surveyed, responses to another question revealed a fundamental lack of understanding by many of them of the main purpose or definition of customer experience itself - prompting observers to ask: Do most business leaders even know what CX really is? How effectively current and future leaders respond to this question will likely determine how successful and mutually profitable a company - and its client relationships - will be. Not just differences, but pronounced disconnects shown in survey results There were substantial differences in viewpoints regarding client experience perceptions, effectiveness, and the importance (as judged by business leaders) of investing in and providing fulfilling experiences to their customers. These were just a few of the key findings that emerged from a recent survey by cloud consulting, digital engineering, and customer experience design firm Amdocs Studios. The company commissioned the outreach to almost 1,000 business leaders across 14 industries and 2,000 consumers in 14 countries in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North America to ask them a number of questions. All queries centred more or less around expectations and performance when it comes to client experience as detailed in the survey results, entitled 'CX20 Report: CX Without Illusions' and published a couple of months ago. Of course, this isn't the first such survey or analysis of client experience attitudes, needs, and trends. In addition to, for example, Forrester's annual CX Index and report, a recent Finextra community article by Chris Brown noted just how important focusing on customer experience can be for regulated industries like financial services with constantly changing rules. Especially for 'digital-first' clients from Gen Z age groups and likely those to follow, Brown wrote that 'By modernising CX strategies with the right tools, financial service providers can strike the right balance between meeting complex compliance needs and delivering standout customer journeys.' Digital transformation not really delivering for clients, with most AI tools yet unproven This may be true. The problem is, client surveys don't yet bear out that people using companies' products across many industries – no matter what their generation – truly feel better served by the 'modern' technology and tools that have been introduced. That applies to both financial services companies and organisations in other fields. In fact, many of these studies show that today's digital, online customer experience is perceived to be getting demonstrably worse than it used to be in 'standard' non-electronic interactions and environments. In financial services, early Gen AI applications, notably chatbots used as alternatives to speaking to a human for assistance or guidance, are appreciated by some and exasperate many others. Beyond such first-phase, often limited-scope and reduced-capability implementations of customer-facing AI technology, it's too soon to see how now-emerging Agentic AI solutions will fare in the marketplace. Agents are being tested and actively planned for rollout in many organisations. Their purpose in general is to supplant or aid humans to support many use cases and client interactions, ostensibly to enhance and extend traditional generative AI to enable 'autonomous decision-making, collaboration, and learning to revolutionise financial services.' Gaps across the board, more like chasms between perceptions of same issues As far as the Amdocs CX 20 report goes, it's not just about financial services, and in fact, Nikola Klacar, a senior researcher for the company, confirmed in an interview with Finextra that only around 10% of the company leaders it surveyed for the 2025 report were from the banking and financial services sector. However, given the frequent client interactions required and how prominent financial matters are in nearly everyone's lives, the findings of the survey are nonetheless searingly instructive. Individually and collectively, they raise powerful questions about client experience myth vs. reality - in an ever-evolving financial marketplace and amid ever-increasing customer expectations. The huge variances between group responses are the most fascinating part of the study. The CX20 framework narrowed down 20 gaps between companies and their customers into what they call five core 'experience gap' categories where differences found 'systematically undermine CX' of these relationships. Perceptual: when companies and customers see the experience differently Operational: Internal inefficiencies that negatively impact CX Technological: Innovation that fails to drive real outcomes Communication: Poorly managed touchpoints and messaging misalignment Data: Missed opportunities to leverage insights for CX measurement and improvement. To start with, the survey found that 80% of business leaders believe they're delivering a great customer experience, but only 24% of consumers responding agreed. This is puzzling, because while 92% of companies say CX is a "priority' and 88% say that positive client experience is critical to revenue growth, many of these same companies are clearly 'overlooking critical gaps that drive customers away.' Amdocs claims that this – per a 2024 study by Qualtrics - puts $3.8 trillion in sales at risk. Poor customer experiences, according to the same estimates, directly result in more than a third as much in annual business losses, and 'very poor CX' drives away hundreds of billions worth of customer revenues every year. Companies aren't convinced on how to fix things, even if they say they agree on the why It seems like the obvious solution – if it's judged to be so important to their revenue growth – is for companies to plan and invest to improve client experiences. Yet, astoundingly, of the same leaders asserting how vital a positive client experience is to their organisations' financial (and reputational) success, only 28% of them believe that CX is important to invest in. We asked Klacar for an explanation of why there is a huge disconnect between survey responses on the same topic, and he ventured that it likely reflects a combination of factors that influence the views of company leaders, including real and recent experience. One survey question addressed this issue, with 63% of business leaders admitting 'they aren't realising meaningful outcomes' from digital transformation, while 43% asserted 'the benefits' of such efforts 'don't justify the investment' required. 'I think a lot of digital transformation that they engaged with before hasn't panned out the way they thought it would,' Klacar explained, going on to note that inconsistent or unclear metrics might be the culprit, or simply that 'some executives just haven't been seeing the impact' or return on investment (ROI) expected – or promised - from digital innovation initiatives. There's also the problem of making assumptions, then making decisions based on those misapprehensions that exacerbate the problems of 'misplaced' or poorly designed new programs. 'Sometimes it just comes down to playing catch up, right? Let's say a company had a CX initiative. It didn't pan out. Now [company leaders] say, 'Let's quickly look to patch the problem with something else, and then just layer technology upon technology' or worse, they create siloes across the organisation to manage all the data, in different departments." Klacar said, 'customers might think these are all internal issues, but they do see them,' and if the measures don't deliver as expected for those customers, don't actually help them operate more efficiently, then the battle for a better customer experience is lost. Along with it, perhaps confidence by company leaders that more 'tries' to fix the failings involved would be worthwhile. Misunderstandings of fundamental concepts yield ineffective steps, inaction, unhappy clients A big part of the problem, the survey report asserts, is that 'leaders still don't get' that customer experience is not just 'customer service' as imagined in the past. 30% of business respondents still defined CX that way, and 48% failed to recognise that the true definition of customer experience includes the sum total of 'all brand interactions' clients have with the company. Predictably, businesses continue to make decisions based on incorrect assumptions as well as a limited understanding of the problems or failings their customers are facing with their products, services, and performance. With these telling findings exposed, it shouldn't be a surprise that most efforts to improve customer experience in an increasingly digital-forward world are treading water, at best. That signals an even bigger problem now and continuing into the future for customer retention and revenue growth, because another data point from the survey was that 85% of loyal customers will 'consider switching after repeated bad experiences' and further, that 54% of them may 'disengage' after 'just four or fewer' negative experiences with that company. Companies say AI is 'crucial' to CX success - customers? Not so much Many are now sounding calls and staking claims that new AI tools are the answer to solving the customer experience problem – for banks as well as other industries. Business leaders surveyed concurred: 85% of them agreed with the statement 'AI is crucial to CX success,' and more than two-thirds reported they are already using AI, with 27% planning to adopt AI tools and applications soon to improve their customer experience performance. But the survey findings illuminated yet another major disconnect: consumers aren't buying those lofty predictions or promises. Only 33% of them who responded are 'excited about AI improving their experiences' and 36% are 'indifferent' or not really sold one way or the other. 30% are outright 'concerned' that AI will hurt, rather than help them have a better customer journey. Loyalty, increased revenues reward companies that offer better customer experience What's at stake for those who 'do customer experience' right? One question in the survey asked about the rewards to companies for providing a great customer experience. 50% of respondents said they'd 'switch brands for better CX, even if it costs more,' and 67% and 60%, respectively, said they'd 'spend more' or 'recommend brands' based on positive customer experiences they'd had. On the flip side of this question's results, we wondered, is it true that only between 33% and 50% of customers are really concerned about customer experience – to the extent they'd either switch, spend, or refer others to a provider? Why is this cohort's 'bar' set so low for client experience expectations? Klacar surmised that there were perhaps three key reasons for this. 'First, they may feel they have no other options,' to replace the product or service in question. Second, 'financially, it's a good deal' for them, so they're willing to look the other way and accept less-than-stellar client experience performance to keep those cost advantages in play. The other key factor is not a big surprise in the financial services world, especially. 'It's painful, difficult, and sometimes also costly to change' bank accounts and relationships, Klacar pointed out. If companies think they have ample wiggle room to avoid investing money, time, or people in ratcheting up their customer experience efforts in meaningful ways, they might want to consider another finding from the survey: 80% of business leaders 'think they're delivering great CX' according to their responses, only 24% of customers surveyed agree, and 74% of them expect companies 'to be fully equipped to meet their needs,' yet are failing to do so. 'Satisficing' won't deliver wins, but improving CX, just might Who's going to fix this huge gap between customer experience reality, expectations, and perceptions? Klacar said it comes down to careful planning, continued commitment, and execution. Right now, he asserted, many companies are doing what he called 'satisficing' - or just finding short-term, 'patchwork' solutions that deliver experiences that are 'something between satisfying and satisfactory' to their customers. That won't suffice to bring long-term success to the client experience, nor preserve or grow company revenues. But improvements might start incrementally. 'It comes down to the executives in the company making decisions like 'we're going to eliminate the silos.' Everybody is going to implement these new procedures. It might come down to one department, showing what incremental gains [in customer experience] can really, really do' for the company as well. But ultimately, he concluded, 'It's everybody together, not just a single department or a single person making a choice,' but a company-wide culture change that's required.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Canada Day is around the corner. How do Canadians feel about their national pride?
A child waves the Maple Leaf flag during Canada Day celebrations at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa, on Friday, July 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang With Canada Day approaching, a new survey has found that most people feel proud to be Canadian. The survey , published Friday by the Angus Reid Institute, shows that 79 per cent of respondents expressed some level of pride in being Canadian. A plurality, or 43 per cent, said they were 'very proud' to be Canadian, 21 per cent said they were 'proud' and 15 per cent were 'somewhat proud.' Ontario and Atlantic Canada showed the most pride in being Canadian, with around 50 per cent of respondents saying they are 'very proud.' While most people in all regions surveyed expressed some level of pride in being Canadian, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec had the largest proportion of respondents who said they were either 'not very proud' or 'not proud at all.' Twenty-eight per cent of people in Alberta said they were 'not very proud' or 'not proud at all' in being Canadian, compared to 23 per cent in Saskatchewan and 22 per cent in Quebec. Canadians might have rediscovered their pride this year following economic attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, the survey notes. Methodology The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from June 20 to 23, 2025, among a randomized sample of 1,619 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to region, gender, age, household income, and education, based on the Canadian census. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI. Detailed tables are found at the end of this release.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Britain's best and worst seaside towns
Known for its coastal promenade, quaint beach huts and traditional arcade games, Bognor Regis has been a favourite among families and beachgoers since its establishment in 1784. But the West Sussex resort has been named the worst seaside town in the UK in an annual poll. Bognor, one of the sunniest spots in England, finished in last place in Which?'s poll of the UK's best and worst seaside towns. The survey asked 3,800 participants about their experience of 118 British coastal spots. The resort earned a paltry one-star rating in most categories, including 'Food and drink', 'Value for money' and 'Scenery'. It was described by one visitor as being simply: 'a run-down seaside town' and received a destination score of just 36 per cent. Just ahead of Bognor was Bangor in Gwynedd – up one spot from its bottom place result in 2024's survey. Perhaps on account of its lack of proper beach, Bangor earned a destination score of only 38 per cent and was described as 'shabby' by one visitor. Clacton-on-Sea in Essex was also poorly received by holidaymakers in the past year. Despite being home to the largest pleasure pier in Europe, measuring 6.5 acres, the seaside resort was awarded only one star for its tourist attractions as well as food and drink and scenery. Indeed, many of the UK's better-known seaside towns performed poorly in this year's survey; Skegness and Blackpool earned 54 per cent and 48 per cent destination ratings respectively, both winning only one-star for their scenery. Even more 'fashionable' seaside hotspots failed to win the hearts of the British public, with artsy Margate scoring 56 per cent, and upmarket Brighton 61. It was better news further north of the country, however, where Bamburgh in Northumberland retained its place as the nation's favourite coastal destination for the fifth year in a row. Bamburgh scored an overall destination score of 84 per cent and was awarded five stars for its seafront and scenery. One visitor declared Bamburgh a 'gem', praising its 'sandy, clean beaches'. The town was also rewarded for its good value for money; according to an average night's stay in Bamburgh costs £130. While Bamburgh has once again maintained its top spot, second place saw a massive jump in rankings. Despite finishing 18th last year, Beer on the Jurassic coast was given this year's silver medal. Visitors were impressed by its five-star scenery, as well as its 'peace and quiet' and 'value for money', for which it earned four stars in both categories. Several towns in Wales also proved popular with visitors. Known for its Italian-inspired architecture, Portmeirion in Gwynedd, north Wales, came in third and was pronounced by one seaside-goer as 'superb in every way'. It scored five stars for its scenery and seafront, and 79 per cent overall. St David's in Pembrokeshire came in fourth place and was similarly praised for its 'excellent facilities, lovely seafront, nice walks and excellent hotels'. The UK's smallest city also earned a 79 per cent destination score. Reflecting on the results of this year's survey, Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: 'From beautiful coastlines to peaceful walks and charming traditional bucket and spade resorts, the UK seaside offers something for everyone – whatever the weather. 'While you may have your own favourite destination, as well as the top spots in Devon and Wales, our survey shows there are still plenty of beautiful hidden gems across the UK to explore.'
