Our estimated number of weekly pub quizzes in the UK is 22,445. This is based on The Publican's 2008 survey which said that 42% of pubs run a weekly pub quiz and a figure of
53,466 pubs in the whole country (this figure is from the British Beer and Pub Association in July 2009)In 2007, dpquiz surveyed 805 Scottish pubs. Of these, 230 (40%) ran a regular quiz. From the answers given by these 230 respondents, we have drawn the following statistics:
What is the most popular day of the week for pub quizzes?
Pubs use pub quizzes to boost their crowd on quieter nights. And becuase Fridays and Saturdays are automatically busy at many bars, Thursday comes out top for pub quizzes, with Monday and Sunday close behind. The survey found no pub quizzes taking place on Saturday.
| Day of the week |
% of weekly quizzes |
| Thursday | 31 per cent |
| Monday | 18 per cent |
| Sunday | 18 per cent |
| Tuesday | 15 per cent |
| Wednesday | 12 per cent |
| Friday | 6 per cent |
| Saturday | 0 per cent |
What time do most pub quizzes start?
Our survey found quizzes starting as early as 4pm and as late as 10.30 at night. But the clear majority of pub quizzes start sometime between nine and ten in the evening. The most common single specific start time was 9pm.
| Start Time |
% of weekly quizzes |
| Before 8pm | 10 per cent |
| From 8pm - 9pm | 35 per cent |
| From 9pm - 10pm | 52 per cent |
| 10pm and later | 3 per cent |
How long do pub quizzes run for?
Most pub quizzes are around two hours long. However, durations do vary wildly. We've heard about successful quick half-hour quizzes and even a four-hour marathon!
| Duration of Pub Quiz |
% of weekly quizzes |
| Less than two hours |
20 per cent |
| 2-3 hours |
60 per cent |
| More than 3 hours |
20 per cent |
What percentage of quiz nights charge an entry fee?
Charging a fee is common, as is allowing teams to compete for free. Discounting a few muddy examples where money is charged for one part of a quiz night and not for another, the survey split the quizzes into the two camps as follows:
| Pub Quiz charges money for quiz entry? |
% of weekly quizzes |
| Yes - (entry fee charge) |
29 per cent |
| No - (quiz is free to enter) |
71 per cent |
Stay tuned to dpquiz for more pub quiz surveys in the future.