UK votes U2's Beautiful Day most popular anthem

Britain is a nation of happiness and inspiration seekers when it comes to music with a whopping nine out of ten people (95 per cent) boldly claiming that tunes have the power to evoke happy memories. Music's ability to rouse and move also scored similarly highly with 93 per cent of people regarding their favourite song as inspiring.

The research, conducted on behalf of cruise company Royal Caribbean International, also found that we are a nation of passionate music lovers with three-quarters of people (74 per cent) stating that music is important to them. People also agreed that music enhanced memories with over a third (31 per cent) re-living their favourite holiday memories on cue to a particular track.

Broadcaster, Lauren Laverne, said 'I think an anthem should be uplifting, as well as something we can sing along to ' and the choices reflect that brilliantly. We all have a song that captured our hearts and stays with us, so it's great to see a mix of the old and new, with classic Beatles up there alongside Robbie. And I'm delighted the research showed that women love music even more than the men ' banishing the myth that when it comes to rock n roll, boys know best.'

The research coincides with the announcement that new ship, Anthem of the Seas, will become the most entertainment-dedicated and technologically advanced cruise ship ever to be based in the UK when it launches in spring 2015.

As part of the research, music industry expert, author and DJ, Stuart Maconie, selected five anthems ' both recently popular and traditional ' and asked the nation to choose the song that makes them the happiest. The top three tunes ' U2's Beautiful Day with 36 per cent of the vote; the Beatles' Hey Jude with 28 per cent of the vote; and Hubert Parry's Jerusalem with 22 per cent ' reflect the diversity of tunes that reach anthem status.

When choosing an anthem, people were also asked what qualifies a piece of music to become anthemic in status. Music's clear association with optimism was also evident in the results with 44 per cent looking for a song to rouse their spirits, and 23 per cent after a song that brings people together. Just seven per cent of people looked for a tune that they could sing along to, reinforcing that a strong anthem is more than just a catchy song.