Pollen concern hits a record high: Study reveals how concerned Portsmouth locals are amid the heatwave

New research from Bee Inspired analysed search data from Google Keyword Planner, examining 30 hayfever-related search terms such as “hayfever”, “hayfever relief”, and “pollen count today”, to identify the UK cities most concerned about pollen. This revealed the average monthly search volume for every UK city with a population of 50,000 or more, which were then scaled per 100,000 local population to allow for fair comparison. 

It was revealed that Portsmouth residents search for pollen- and hayfever-related queries 1,210 times per month on average throughout the year. The most searched-for terms by locals were "antihistamines", followed by "pollen count today", and "hayfever symptoms". When scaled by population, this equals 542 average searches per 100,000 residents every month.

The analysis also found that global searches for "pollen count today" surged to an all-time high in 2026, up 1,450% from the average interest since tracking began over two decades ago.

Founder of Bee Inspired, Kara Brook Brown, commented: “Official figures estimate that hayfever affects more than 1 in 4 adults in the UK, and now, this seasonal allergy has again come into focus for many across the country and Portsmouth. 

“With the season now underway, and the current heatwave, many will be keeping updated on daily pollen counts, and staying informed on how to reduce the effects of hayfever, so they can enjoy the brighter weather through the coming months."

Full ranking:

Nottingham ranks as the UK city where people are most concerned about hayfever, with an average monthly search volume of 1,427 related searches per 100,000 residents. This is 138% higher than the average of 599 per 100,000 population identified across the cities in the analysis. Overall, it was identified that Nottingham residents make an average of more than 4,200 hayfever-related searches per month in total.

Second is Manchester, with an average monthly search volume of 1,405 searches per 100,000 population. In total, residents of the city search for the hayfever-related terms analysed more than 10,100 times per month on average. The findings revealed that the most-searched terms in the city are “antihistamine” and “pollen count today”, respectively.

Lincoln ranks third, with 1,265 searches per 100,000 people, and Cambridge ranks fourth nationally, with an average monthly search volume of 1,232 per 100,000 people.

Norwich rounds out the top five hayfever hotspots in the UK, with an average monthly search volume of 1,225 hayfever-related searches per 100,000 residents.