Yahoo!'s Top Ten of Everything 2010
Yahoo!'s Year in Review - the definitive list of the people, places and events that grabbed the UK's imagination over the past 12 months, based on billions of searches on Yahoo.co.uk - has uncovered a nation still worried by economic uncertainty and dazzled by celebrity.
Yahoo!'s Top Ten of Everything 2010 (last year in brackets)
1. Lottery (new entry)
2. Job Centre (#3)
3. Weather (new entry)
4. Big Brother (#1)
5. Cheryl Cole (#9)
6. TV guide (new entry)
7. World Cup (new entry)
8. Train times ( #10)
9. Katie Price (#8)
10. Horoscopes (new entry)
After 12 months of belt-tightening, the public's concern about a future age of austerity is reflected in the top searches - with LOTTERY (#1) and JOB CENTRE (#2) the most searched for terms. Job Centre was one of the top three searches for the second year in a row, having charted at #3 in 2009. A new entry into the Top 10 Searches shows how we're watching the pounds by staying in - TV GUIDE is in at #6. Perhaps even the entry of HOROSCOPES at #10 is a sign of desperation as we turn to the stars for a guide to our future
The nation found the perfect embodiment of its obsessions with celebrity, entertainment and reality television in CHERYL COLE (#5) - the most searched-for celebrity of 2010.
Cole was the number one searched for celebrity and the number one searched for musician. Her divorce from England and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole was named top ‘celebrity scandal', while X Factor remained one of the most searched for TV shows.
However, her crown may be under threat from KATE MIDDLETON - searches for the future ‘Princess Catherine' went up by more than 20 000% on the day of the announcement of her wedding to Prince William, a trend that will only accelerate as the big day approaches.
In fact, the ROYAL WEDDING is already dominating the news this year - announced only two weeks ago, it was the #4 most-searched for news event of 2010.
Richard Evans, Yahoo!'s UK News Editor, said: "Looking at the billions of searches made on Yahoo.co.uk over the last year, two things jump out. One is that we are a worried nation, concerned about our futures as we enter an ‘age of austerity'.
"The second is that we find our escape from this worry through reality TV, entertainment and celebrity. In 2010, for a lot of people, that meant following the rollercoaster life of Cheryl Cole.
"Next year, however, the Royal Wedding is likely to become our celebrity fixation - is Kate going to become the new Cheryl?"