The impatient nation: Buffering internet, slow walkers, and transport delays among top time irritants for Brits

• ‘Fast Lanes' trialled in UK cities for the first time to tackle one of Brits’ biggest commuter gripes 
• More than 10 million people admit they’re impatient, saying they can only wait on average 11 minutes before they get frustrated
• Buffering internet, slow walkers, and transport delays top the list of everyday annoyances 
• Sky Broadband, now offering the fastest speeds from any major provider in the UK, is speeding up more than just broadband with the new ‘Fast Lanes’ initiative 
• New Sky Broadband Gigafast+ packages offer speeds up to 5 Gbps

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Transport delays (42%), slow walkers (33%) and buffering internet pages (41%) have been ranked among the most annoying everyday delays in a new ‘impatient nation’ study. 

A poll of 3,000 adults uncovered that a fifth – the equivalent to 10.7 million Brits – consider themselves impatient*. This comes as almost two in ten (19%) blame social media for their lack of patience, with a further four in ten (40%) citing advancement of technology.  

The research, commissioned by Sky Broadband, revealed that just over a quarter (27%) of Brits will only wait for a maximum of three minutes when faced with a delay of any kind.  

When it comes to waiting for something to load online, almost a third (32%) of Brits admit to not being able to wait a single minute before losing their patience, and 12 minutes is the average amount of time people are willing to wait for public transport delays.  

Having already improved the nation’s second biggest frustration, slow internet, Sky Broadband is now helping Brits speed up other areas of daily life. As part of a new trial in Leeds and Glasgow, special ‘Fast Lanes’ have been introduced on busy pedestrian streets, which is favourable for the 44% of people who want to separate the strollers from the striders. 

Dubbed the ‘Sky Fast Lanes’, the lanes feature speed icons, run for 50m and are 2.2m wide. They mark the arrival of the fastest broadband speeds from any major provider in the UK, all in a bid to give busy Brits a high-speed commute and avoid the dreaded slow walker. 

Top 10 things that frustrate impatient Brits  

1. Transport delays (e.g. plane, train, bus delays) - 42%
2. Slow or buffering internet - 41%
3. Slow or bad drivers - 37%
4. Slow service (in any capacity) - 34%
5. Slow walkers - 33%
6. Queuing - 33%
7. Pedestrian traffic (e.g. people taking up the whole path or someone stopping in the middle of a path) - 29%
8. Waiting for or missing a delivery - 28%
9. Film or TV show buffering part way through - 25%
10. Waiting for something to download or update - 25%

It appears Brits want fast speeds elsewhere in their lives too, with slow drivers and slow service also listed as top frustrations.

Londoners pride themselves in their capacity to be patient with 76% agreeing they can keep a lid on it compared to two thirds of Scots (66%) and 64% of those in Yorkshire.

The British stiff upper lip prevails as sighing, groaning and, muttering under their breath, or simply staying silent topped the list of things people have done when frustrated and faced with delays (42% and 33% respectively).

Three in ten admit to furiously refreshing apps or slamming the close door button in a lift. Over a quarter (28%) have shouted at their smart speaker when it doesn’t understand them first time, and 21% are guilty of rudely drumming fingers on the table whilst waiting for service.

Generation X have emerged as the most impatient generation (24%), meanwhile, three-quarters of Gen Z claim to have a zen-like patience.

Despite this, however, Brits generally agreed that Gen Z gets their patience tested the most often, citing on average four delays a day in comparison to Millennials and Gen X who experience three and Boomers who experience a mere two delays per day.

Gen Z, facing more delays than any other generation, are relying on sneaky time-saving hacks such as using AI platforms (36%), going to a self-checkout rather than queueing for a cashier (41%), using mobile data instead of sorting out slow internet speed (48%). Two in five even admitted to watching videos on 2x speed (42%).

Ben Case, Managing Director of Connectivity at Sky, said:

“From slow walkers to traffic jams, delays are part of everyday life. With Sky Broadband Gigafast+ now offering the fastest speeds from any major provider in the UK, we’re launching ‘Fast Lanes’ to speed up more than just broadband, helping commuters reclaim their time and keep life moving frustration-free.”

The ‘Fast Lanes’ celebrate the launch of Sky’s new Full Fibre 2.5 Gigafast+ and Full Fibre 5 Gigafast+ packages, giving customers a superior connectivity experience at home. 

Now available on the CityFibre network, the packages deliver the UK’s fastest broadband speeds from any major provider. The 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps speeds will be delivered by the new Gigafast+ hub, Sky’s most advanced yet, to power the demands of a modern home, from remote working and 4K streaming to gaming. 

As part of Sky’s wider range of speeds, the Full Fibre Gigafast package (900Mbps) is available for £25pm for new customers in CityFibre areas from the 25th of September 2025**.

To switch to Sky Broadband, visit: https://www.sky.com/broadband.

Notes to Editors

For more information, please contact:

Hannah Priestley Hannah.Priestley@taylorherring.com, 07736568929

• Fastest based on speeds to the hub. Selected areas: 12% of UK homes. Verify at sky.com/fastestspeeds

• Sky’s Gigafast+ packages are available in CityFibre connected areas.

• **Sky Full Fibre Gigafast: £25pm. Prices may change during 24-month contract.