Finance, more than romance, is the biggest source of regret in Americans' lives
Regrets can come in many forms, from wishing that you'd taken a chance and pushed your luck to looking back and wishing that you'd kept your mouth shut and travelled the safe road. A particularly recent and public example of a decision that came to be regretted was the Seattle Seahawks' bizarre call to make a passing play in the final seconds of the Super Bowl, despite being only a yard from the endzone. Another Seattlite, however, who got a 'back to back champions' tattoo insists that he doesn't regret that particular decision.
Research from YouGov shows that finances are the largest source of regret in people's lives. 22% of Americans say that they have 'a lot' of regrets about their financial decisions, compared to 19% who have a lot of regrets about their romantic lives. Overall 44% have 'a lot' or 'some' regrets about finances, 40% about romance, 31% about family, 29% about friends and only 22% about moral issues.
Older Americans are both less likely to say they have no regrets or a lot of regrets about their lives. 11% of under-30s say that they have no regrets and 15% say that they have a lot. Among over-65s only 3% have no regrets and 8% have a lot of regrets. Most (52%) say that they have 'a few' regrets.
Overall, poorer Americans tend to say that they have more regrets about their lives than other Americans. People whose household incomes are under $40,000 a year (22%) are twice as likely to say that they have a lot of regrets about their life in general compared to people who earn over $40,000 a year.
