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.

Switching jobs or careers is seen as a harder life decision than getting married, according to Aviva (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Archive)

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

Raj Kumar, Aviva

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%