E ON : Germany leads the pack with romantic dinners by candlelight

No other Europeans are as romantic as the Germans. Almost half the population, 39 percent, uses candlelight for a date or dinner. This has been revealed by the study 'Living in Europe' carried out by E.ON and Kantar EMNID. Not far behind when it comes to romance are the Turks with 35 percent, and Sweden with 31 percent of respondents. Other means of seduction are employed by the Hungarians, with just 21 percent using candles for romance.

Candlelight not only makes a date more romantic, but also creates a cozier atmosphere on dark winter nights - an opinion shared by the impressive 61 percent of Germans who like to shine a light in the dark. Only in Sweden is the figure higher, with 63 percent of people lighting candles in winter. In Romania and Turkey, on the other hand, the nights are either not so dark or not so cold: In both these countries, only 18 percent of respondents said they light candles on winter evenings.

Festivals and holidays are also occasions Germans and Swedes like to celebrate by candlelight. 57 percent of Germans see them as part of the celebrations, while 49 percent of Swedish households light candles on such occasions. The leader here, however, is Hungary, where 68 percent of people like to celebrate by candlelight.

Taking a bath by candlelight is most popular in the UK, with 22 percent of people enjoying a soak with a candle in sight. In Germany the figure is 20 percent, while in Italy and the Czech Republic 16 percent of respondents admitted to doing so. It's beyond the English Channel, though, that candles are most widely eschewed: 20 percent of Brits don't even know where to start with candles and do not use them at all.

These results are part of the 'Living in Europe' survey for which E.ON and Kantar EMNID questioned around 8,000 people in Germany, the UK, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden, Turkey and Hungary.