Switching careers ‘harder decision than getting married’

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.

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%