Switching careers ‘harder decision than getting married’
Getting divorced or ending a long-term relationship was voted life’s most difficult decision, followed by buying a new home, according to Aviva.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Switching jobs or careers is seen as a harder life decision than getting married, a survey has found.
Getting divorced or ending a long-term relationship was voted life’s most difficult decision, followed by buying a new home, according to Aviva
More than a quarter (27%) of people saw changing job or career as one of life’s hardest decisions, while 25% said getting married was one of the trickiest decisions to make.
Nearly half (49%) of people feel anxious when making a big decision and more than two-fifths (43%) get stressed and nearly a third (32%) feel overwhelmed.
Six in 10 (60%) admit to putting off making a big decision. Deciding when to retire is the decision people take the longest time over, taking an average of 10 months and seven days.
The last 18 months have really made a lot of people rethink their priorities
People estimate they lose £421 a year on average due to being indecisive, the survey of more than 2,000 people across the UK found.
More than one in 10 (11%) said they had missed out on a job offer due to procrastinating, while 7% had missed out on buying a home or had to buy a more expensive one as a result.
– The survey also found some regional differences:
In Sheffield 42% of people found it difficult to end a long-term relationship compared with just 24% in Leeds;
– In Brighton 44% of people found getting married a difficult decision compared with 15% in Liverpool;
– In Belfast and Glasgow 40% of people found buying a home a difficult decision compared with 22% in Bristol;
– In Liverpool 15% of people found it difficult to decide about pursuing further education, compared with just 5% in Cardiff.
Aviva has a free course available called the “decision school” giving guidance on making life choices and decisions under pressure.
Raj Kumar, corporate reputation director at Aviva, said: “We know the last 18 months have really made a lot of people rethink their priorities, which has led to some challenging decision-making.”
– Here are the top 15 most difficult decisions to make, according to Aviva:
1. Getting divorced or ending a long-term relationship, 31%
2. Buying a new home, 29%
=3. Relocating to a new country, 27%
=3. Changing job or career, 27%
5. Getting married, 25%
6. Having or adopting a child, 21%
=7. Moving in with a partner, 20%
=7. Relocating to a new city, 20%
9. Caring for a family member, 19%
10. Where to invest money, 15%
11. Deciding when to retire, 13%
12. Choosing a pension, 10%
=13. School choices, 8%
=13. Pursuing further education and choosing a degree (or deciding not to do so), 8%
15. Getting a pet, 7%