Who's the daddy!

16/06/2010

New research from Clydesdale Bank has revealed that almost one third of kids in the UK would love eccentric Doctor Who from the hit TV sci-fi show to be their dad.

The Bank asked more than 500 children nationwide aged between 7-14 years old, which celebrity they would most like as a father figure. However, kids in London preferred former England captain, David Beckham who came out on top with 34% of kids in the Capital.

Beckham was followed closely by the new Doctor Who, Matt Smith who picked up 28% from the Capital's kids, while cartoon dad, Homer Simpson, came in third with 22%.

Hard-to-please X Factor judge Simon Cowell had to be content with 20% with Top Gear presenter, Richard 'Hamster' Hammond coming in close behind on 19%.

Despite all the recent election coverage, Britain's politicians were not as popular overall as celebrity dads with Prime Minister David Cameron polling 14%, Nick Clegg, 9% and Gordon Brown 2%.

However, when asked to choose between the celebrity dads and their own father, 85% of kids surveyed, stated they preferred their own dad to those in the "fathers' hall of fame".

When asked what makes a good dad, someone who has fun with you came out top with 84%. Teaching you things came next with 70%, while listening to your problems was a close third with 69%. Only 44% of the children thought being a good dad required giving them gifts.

Nearly nine out of ten kids (86%) believed they should do more to show their dad how much they appreciate him.

Clydesdale Bank offers a range of savings accounts for kids, including the Child Savings Bond, paying 4.45% Gross.

Steve Reid, Retail Director for Clydesdale Bank, said: "It's refreshing to see that in a celebrity obsessed world, children still prefer their own dad to any celebrity."

"With the majority of kids agreeing they should do more to show how much their dad means to them, the nation's dads can look forward to an enjoyable Father’s Day."