Germans are sunlounger hoggers, or so the longstanding stereotype goes. But not only is that cultural trope mostly confined to British – and, even more so, German – perceptions, surprising new data reveals that in fact Italian and French holidaymakers are the ones most likely to use their towel to stake their claim to a sunlounger.

A poll by YouGov of Europeans holidaymakers found that while many Germans (51%) and Britons (46%) associate Germans with the ritual of waking up at the crack of dawn to mark their spot, the perception barely exists elsewhere in Europe, with just 5-17% of those surveyed in other countries sharing the stereotype.

Furthermore, just 38% of German holidaymakers – as in those who stay in places that have pools and sunloungers – said they have ever reserved a lounger with a towel compared with 45% of their Italian and French counterparts. Britons were the least likely to admit to hogging a lounger (33%).

Across all countries polled, YouGov found that most people (60-82%) considered the practice unacceptable. Still, it appears to be rampant, with 51-63% saying they had found themselves deprived of a sunlounger because they were all taken, and 14-28% admitting to resolving matters by removing somebody else’s towel.

When the Guardian asked a number of Italians in Rome, nobody admitted to the practice, although they could believe the data.

“I would never do it but I have seen it happen,” said Claudia Morani, a teacher, adding that during a recent stay in a hotel with a swimming pool she had witnessed plenty of fellow Italians “leaving their towels on the loungers at the end of the day so they could use the same ones the next morning”.

Morani added: “This kind of thing happens a lot on beaches here, too – the free ones.”

Indeed, possibly even worse than sunlounger hoggers, some Italian beachgoers are cultivating a reputation as furbetti dell’ombrellone, or umbrella cheats, a name coined by the press to refer to people who leave their umbrellas pitched overnight in their quest to reserve coveted spots by the sea.

The practice is a growing trend on free-access beaches, unlike the private concessions that dominate much of Italy’s coastline during summer and from which Italians are increasingly turning away because of high prices.

Such is the extent of the problem, coastal authorities across Italy specifically target the furbetti dell’ombrellone as part of their national beach and lake safety campaign.

In late July, authorities in a suburb of Naples seized 40 items, including umbrellas, loungers and deckchairs, during a dawn sweep of a popular free beach. Similar blitzes have recently occurred on beaches in Puglia and Sardinia. Fines of up to €500 are in place for those caught, while reclaiming the confiscated personal belongings involves a bureaucratic ordeal.

“This has become a bit of a habit,” said Danilo Ruggiero, an activist with Mare Libero, a national network fighting to reclaim beaches from private concessions. “I think it’s more related to people not wanting to carry umbrellas, chairs and other equipment back and forth from home, especially in the heat. But there is a tendency to try to get the best position by the sea, and this shouldn’t be done.”

As for France, when the Guardian spoke about YouGov’s findings to two people living in the south, they were not surprised to hear that the French were partial to sunlounger hogging. “I see it all the time at my local beach club,” said Chantal Henry, who lives in Menton, close to the Italian border. “I get really fed up with it.” Her friend Virginie Pascual alleged: “It is always the Italians.”

However, a Briton living in France, who wanted to remain anonymous as they had German colleagues, was adamant Germans were by far the biggest culprits. “I saw it in Mallorca – it was 5.30am and a German dude was hogging five loungers with towels,” they said.