Our client, 118118 responds to more than ten million calls and texts every month from the British public requesting telephone numbers and information about businesses across all sectors in the UK.

On 2nd Feb, 118 118 released a report summarizing trends in calls and texts across 2008 - providing a fascinating bellwether for what information people are looking now compared to 12 months ago. They have kindly allowed us to provide a summary of the key findings which we think provides a fascinating insight in to the scale and speed of the economic downturn's impact on consumer priorities and concerns.

Calls for debt advice in December 2008 soared 415% on December 2007 revealing a significant rise in individuals and businesses running into financial trouble, needing and seeking expert advice and services.

A 245% spike in calls for tax specialists shows a large jump in people's growing concerns about how to manage and protect their finances Enquiries for Bureau de Change have risen 186% on the same period last year as people explore the market place for new providers offering more favourable rates of exchange.

The decline in the housing market is verified by call volumes for mortgage brokers, which fell by 62%. Instead of moving we are looking to expand on what we already have. Enquiries for conservatories have increased by 44% and loft conversions have risen 165%.

A 50% increase in calls for libraries and a heart-warming 59% raise in calls enquiring about charity shops gives a strong indication of how people are looking for alternatives to spending on the high street. Enquiries for department stores were down 6% and shopping centres were down 11%

While we may be watching more television we are making do with the model we have and calls for television, video & radio shops fell by 32% in December 2008 on December 2007

We are switching from eat-out to eat-in. Enquiries for takeaway/delivered pizza outlets were up 22% whereas calls for pubs/inns/bars were down 5% on December 2007.

Calls for Satellite TV, equipment & services increased significantly by 462% and enquiries for computer games rose dramatically by 599% while calls for cinemas were down 53%, although perhaps reflecting the absence of an all out blockbuster movie

Perhaps most worrying of all, those calling for the number of a psychiatrist were 43% above the December 2007 volume.

Some of us turned to a higher power for help. The future may be good for clairvoyants & palmists for whom enquiries increased 161%, while calls for hypnotherapists had risen 24%.

In contrast the number of calls enquiring about tattooists increased by 26%, with the words Down and Turn possible replacing Love and Hate as a popular choice!