Whistling 'could become extinct' as survey finds almost half of people find it annoying

A new survey by YouGov suggests people have less patience for the pastime

Whistle while you work...or not anymore: 53 per cent of young people say they find whistling annoying

Whistling may be on the way out as more and more people find it annoying, according to a new poll.

In a survey by YouGov, the proportion people finding the pastime annoying has increased with 47 per cent of people polled saying they found it irritating.

That figure rose to 53 per cent among 18-24 year olds suggesting fondness for whistling may slowly die out as the years pass.

The data reveals the decline in whistling may have already begun with 87 per cent of people who are over 60 reporting they are hearing whistling less than they used to in everyday life.

YouGov’s editor-in-chief, Freddie Sayers, said they were not exactly sure why younger generations are turning their back on it but he suggests it could be to do with the time pressures of modern life.

He believes whistling is traditionally something to do absent mindedly in idle moments “in a state of calm contentment”.

He said: “There is a peace-within-his-environment about the whistler that feels harder to achieve in today's faster-paced, more distracted times.”

Mr Sayers also credits the rise of modern technology and its many distractions with leaving people less time to idle away.

He said: “Instead of getting all misty-eyed about the passing of contentedness what about the advent of portable recorded music (so people can listen to proper music instead of having to make up their own), the decline of outdoor and manual jobs in favour of office jobs (if everyone in an open plan office was whistling it would not be practical) and obviously the ability of mobile phones to absorb those boring hours more effectively with instant messaging and Candy Crush Saga.”