Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ongoing feud with the rest of the Royal Family has been named the biggest national debate of the year.
A poll of 2,000 adults found out which topics – old and new – have kept tongues wagging most over the course of 2022.
Second on the list was the race between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to replace Boris Johnson as UK Prime Minister.
And third place went to the highly publicised court drama between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
The rest of the top 50 list included the sensational “Wagatha Christie” trial, involving Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, and Will Smith and Chris Rock’s dust-up at the Oscars.
But some debates have been raging for years with no sign of a resolution – such as which is the “correct” way to hang a toilet roll, and how the word “scone” should be pronounced.
The survey was commissioned by research agency OnePoll, whose head of research, Mark Hodson, said: “Some debates in this list are of the moment and took place during 2022.
“But others have been raging for years, and in some cases decades. No doubt people have been debating whether a hot dog is a sandwich since they were invented.
“Many of the biggest debates of this year seem to centre on celebrity scandal, and also political intrigue, possibly showing how the two are becoming ever-more interlinked.”
One of the biggest debates, selected by nearly a fifth (18%) of respondents, is whether the United States needs to review the 2nd Amendment (the right to bear arms).
This narrowly beat out ongoing conversations over whether pineapple belongs on a pizza or not.
But 17% have fallen out with someone over a topical debate going too far this year.
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And 57% have interrupted someone else’s conversation because they felt so strongly and had to share their opinion.
It also emerged one in three (34%) believe 2022 should even be known in future as “The Year of Debate”.
And the top three places for a heated discussion were revealed to be over the dinner table (33%), in the pub with friends (32%), or at work (32%).
Mark Hodson, from OnePoll, added: “The workplace can be a great place for a debate, especially as the nation starts to return to offices and other workspaces more regularly.
“But one must be careful not to get too heated in a debate with colleagues – or even worse, with management.
“A sparky conversation about whether jam or cream should go first on a scone is one thing – but deep, political conversations can leave many feeling uncomfortable.”
THE TOP 50 DEBATES OF 2022, ACCORDING TO BRITS:
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle vs the rest of the Royal Family
- Rishi Sunak vs Liz Truss for the Prime Minister's job
- Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard
- Boris Johnson vs all the ministers who resigned from underneath him
- Whether the US needs to ban guns/change the 2nd Amendment
- Should pineapple go on a pizza?
- Will Smith vs Chris Rock
- Jam or cream first on a scone
- Rebekah Vardy vs Coleen Rooney
- The pronunciation of “scone”
- iPhone vs Android
- Sean Connery or Daniel Craig – who's the best Bond?
- Loo roll – does it hang over or under?
- Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
- Are crisps in a sandwich ever okay?
- Jaffa cakes – cake or biscuit?
- If Jack could have fit on the door in Titanic
- If Manchester United should sell Cristiano Ronaldo
- Manchester United fans protesting the clubs' owner, the Glazers
- Should you ever leave washing up to soak, or just get on with it?
- Whether Harry Maguire should start for England
- Dogs vs cats
- The Beatles vs The Rolling Stones
- What colour tea should be
- What is the best seat on a plane – aisle or window?
- If sandwiches should be cut diagonally or horizontally
- The debate over whether there are more doors or wheels in the world
- If we're all living in a simulation
- How a dog would wear trousers, if a dog wore trousers
- Marvel vs DC
- Xbox vs PlayStation
- Kanye West vs Pete Davidson
- Who is the best and worst FRIENDS character?
- Should you ever “cheat” on your partner by watching ahead on a box set?
- Whether you wash your legs in the shower
- Harry Styles vs Chris Pine (when Styles appeared to spit on Pine)
- Smooth or chunky peanut butter
- American football vs English football
- Which is the best brownie – a middle or edge piece?
- The right order for the cutlery drawer
- Ant or Dec
- If the new England kit is the worst ever
- Whether a straw has one hole or two
- If you should bite or lick your ice-cream
- How to pronounce “gif”
- Shia LeBeouf vs Olivia Wilde
- Liam Payne vs the rest of One Direction
- Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun
- If hot dogs are a sandwich
- Daddy or chips
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