The biggest ever study into touch will find out whether millennials want less physical contact than previous generations, following modern movements like #MeToo.

Goldsmiths, University of London, has teamed up with the BBC to conduct a worldwide survey, asking a range of questions about how important touch is to people, how much they need it, and how comfortable they are with physical contact.

Researchers will then drill down into the answers to see whether people of varying nationalities, cultures, ages, disabilities, sexualities, and genders feel differently.

While city dwellers may think nothing of being squashed up next to strangers on public transport, the study may show that those who live in the countryside find such close contact intolerable. Or it may show the opposite.

Experts say it is such a vastly under-researched area, that they are really not sure what the outcome will be.

They may find that millennials are deeply uncomfortable with close contact following recent sex scandals, but older generations may feel equally awkward at modern displays of affection.