New research has shown that queuing is a dying trait amongst younger Australians, much to the rage of the baby boomer generation.
The research, commissioned by TripAdvisor and backed by a British behavioural psychologist and queuing expert, suggests that millennials are more than twice as likely to push in front of queues than baby boomers (42 per cent Millennials vs 17 per cent Boomers)
On the flip side, more than two thirds (75 per cent) of Baby Boomers consider queue cutting the height of bad manners, compared to under half (38 per cent) of Millennials.
Clearly, millennials have bigger fish to fry, like facing the prospect of never owning their own home and the climbing price of avocados.
The research identified five common techniques Australian queue jumpers use to cut the queue – including the ‘chat and cut’, the ‘sorry, sorry, sorry’ and the ‘quick question’.
Yet despite this behaviour becoming more common in Australia, it still provokes strong reactions from other queuers, especially among the baby boomer generation who take pride in queuing etiquette, as it’s ‘the polite and proper way’.
“Queues can only operate smoothly when everyone understands and abides by the same social rules, but increasingly we’re seeing a younger generation willing to bend those rules, and an older generation willing to confront them when they do,” Behavioural psychologist and queuing expert, Professor Adrian Furnham said.
TripAdvisor sent British YouTuber Zac Alsop undercover to well-known UK tourist attractions to test the most common queue jumping techniques.
Our personal fave is the consent clipboard.
They also compiled this handy list of Australia’s top queue-jumping techniques and the most common reactions.
As tourist visitation increases alongside Australia’s warm weather in the coming months, the prospect of being caught in the middle of an awkward queue confrontation is greater than ever.
Yet, globally, only one in five attraction visitors heed advice to book ahead – even though many of the busiest attractions worldwide offer Skip The Line ticket options that can be booked in advance on sites like TripAdvisor and which allow you to skip the queues altogether.
These include skip-the-line access to iconic sites such as the Vatican Museums and the Eiffel Tower.
