29 percent of women would run through a burning house to save photos, study finds

A new study by tech retailer Currys asked more than 2,000 Brits throughout the United Kingdom about their photo-taking habits, and wholly unexpectedly the under-25s came out on top for photo printing.

In the age of selfies and social media an incredible 87 percent of Brits younger than 25 admitted to printing off their photos, while only 76 percent of Boomers (those generally accepted to be aged 60 to 78) reportedly print out their photos.

As well as a generational divide in photo printing habits, there was also a gender divide.

Respondents to the survey revealed that 28 percent of women considered their printed photos their most prized possessions, compared to only 17 percent of men.

Despite today's digital obsession, it's unsurprising then that 29 percent of women would reportedly run through a house fire to rescue their precious memories.

Unsurprisingly, the most common subject matter for framed photos is children and grandchildren, with 36 percent of people adorning their homes with family images.

More interestingly perhaps, pets and animal images trump human friends, with 22 percent of people preferring to look at images of their 'fur-babies' around their homes, as opposed to 19 percent choosing to print off images of friends.

Pets also beat parents as a subject matter deserving of wall space, with only 15 percent of people printing off images of their mother or father. Another 15 percent of people also reported having no photographs of loved ones displayed in their homes, despite 46 percent of people claiming that looking at such images made them feel happy.

One theory behind respondents' bare walls could be that, with the average screen time for 16-64-year-olds around the world coming in at 6 hours and 37 minutes per day according to Data Reportal, 15 percent of people prefer to view their loved ones digitally.

Currys enlisted the analytical skills of MBACP senior accredited psychotherapist and clinical supervisor Cheryl Sandford who added, "There are various factors that could contribute to an individual's choice to not display photos of loved ones in their home, even though they recognise that Many individuals now keep their images on digital devices, gone is the need to have to print the film before being able to view the photo which led to easier access to photographs for display."

The question remains however, who would take priority in a fire; pets, or friends?

Check our guide to the best photo printers.