Germans hogging the sunloungers? Poll finds Italians and French are worse

British and Germans themselves share stereotype but other nationalities are likelier to put out towels – or umbrellas Germans are sunlounger hoggers, or so the longstanding stereotype goes. But not only is that cultural trope mostly confined to British – and, even more so, German – perceptions, surprising new data reveals that in fact Italian and French holidaymakers are the ones most likely to use their towel to stake their claim to a sunlounger. A poll by YouGov of Europeans holidaymakers found that while many Germans (51%) and Britons (46%) associate Germans with the ritual of waking up at the crack of dawn to mark their spot, the perception barely exists elsewhere in Europe, with just 5-17% of those surveyed in other countries sharing the stereotype. Furthermore, just 38% of German holidaymakers – as in those who stay in places that have pools and sunloungers – said they have ever reserved a lounger with a towel compared with 45% of their Italian and French counterparts. Britons were the least likely to admit to hogging a lounger (33%). Across all countries polled, YouGov found that most people (60-82%) considered the practice unacceptable. Still, it appears to be rampant, with