Three in four (74%) UK adults experience 'Inattentional Blindness' and could be losing money as a result

LONDON, June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Three quarters (74%) of UK adults now experience inattentional blindness, a phenomenon that prevents people from seeing things right in front of their eyes due to their mind being distracted by other factors, according to a new study from the mobile network giffgaff, and backed by leading neuroscientist Professor Hana Burianova.

The research revealed that more than one in two (52%) UK drivers have experienced inattentional blindness. A quarter of drivers (22%) have arrived at a destination with no memory of how they even got there and 15% admitted to driving through a red light.

To demonstrate just how many people are missing things right in front of them, giffgaff unveiled the world's biggest ever magic eye[1] in London. Located in Shoreditch, the one-of-a-kind artwork contained the hidden message 'Seeing things more clearly?' in a bid to get the nation to notice the great phone and monthly airtime deals that are passing them by, due to them not paying attention to what's around them.

Currently on giffgaff, the mobile network that's up to good, the iPhone 15 is available for as little as £37.46 per month based on a 24-month contract with 25GB of data whereas the exact same phone and data plan is available on other networks for £58.32.[2] As a result of inattentional blindness, people continue to pay their bills without realising they could be missing out on a much more competitive deal elsewhere, like with giffgaff.

The study showed this was a common occurrence, with one in four (24%) UK adults claiming to have not noticed their bills increasing due to paying them on autopilot. While less than half the nation (40%) were aware that many mobile phone network providers had increased their prices in April, and more than one in ten (12%) haven't checked their phone bill in the last 6 months.

Furthermore, according to giffgaff's research, over half (60%) of the nation weren't even aware that many mobile phone networks had increased their prices this April. The latest data from Uswitch[3] showed that UK consumers face a collective £14.4 billion bill blow as broadband and mobile price rises kick in.

Speaking about the research, Professor Hana Burianova, a neuroscientist, said, "This study illustrates that we can miss even the most obvious things unless we pay close attention. This phenomenon is particularly evident for unexpected objects, events, or people – as without our direct attention, our brain filters out the information as irrelevant. As such, we see the direct impact of inattentional blindness on many parts of everyday life, including automatically paying a bill without noticing a mid-contract rise in price or not noticing a better deal around the corner."

Ash Schofield, CEO of giffgaff, says: "As the network committed to giving its customers great deals on phones and mobile plans, we wanted to shine a light on just how many people are missing out on money saving opportunities that are right in front of their eyes.

"We're all leading increasingly busy lives, and as our findings show, it can often result in us failing to see things that are literally right under our noses. Through this research and unveiling our magic eye installation, we hope that we can help people start to see things more clearly and save some money by switching their phone contract to giffgaff."

Consumers looking for a better deal can find out more about the money they could save at giffgaff.com.

NOTES TO EDITORS  

Research of 2,000 UK adults conducted by Opinium between 10 May 2024 - 14 May 2024

[1]The largest known magic eye to date was created in 2019, in Tampa, Florida that was 2.4m x 1.8m https://www.facebook.com/100057164781806/posts/2272106496159472/. giffgaff's magic eye is 9m x 3m making it now the largest known magic eye in the world to date.

[2]Calculated as of 24/05/2024 and reviewed weekly. iPhone 15 with 25GB of data over 24 months giffgaff = £37.46 a month over 24 months for phone, 18 months for £10 contract with 25GB of data. Upfront cost of £20 https://www.giffgaff.com/mobile-phones/apple/iphone-15/new 

EE = £58.32 a month over 24 months with 25GB of data. Upfront cost £30 https://ee.co.uk/mobile/pay-monthly-phones-gallery/iphone-15-details?selectedPlanCode=L23EPL53

[3]https://uk.news.yahoo.com/millions-uk-households-broadband-see-154114427.html details the monetary impact  mid-contract price rises have placed on consumers since they came into effect last April.

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