Three quarters of Brits settle for second best

Three quarters of Britons are currently settling for second best in some part of their lives, according to new research from Abbey Current Accounts. Striving for the best in life has fallen down the priority list for millions of Britons, as they opt for the easier alternative.

Many adults forsake their dream job, with almost a third of Britons (30 per cent) settling for their second choice career instead. Dream homes also remain a fantasy for millions of people as one in four (24 per cent) settling for their second choice of property type.

Other examples of settling for second best include:

one fifth (22 per cent) are not living in their preferred location
one in five (19 per cent) settle for a partner or relationship which is second best
one in ten (11 per cent) settle for second best when it comes to financial products

Gillian Almond, Head of Abbey Bank Accounts explained: "Most people settle for second best in a major area of their life. Some of these can be difficult and time-consuming to put right, other elements of your day-to-day life can easily be put right. This includes changing your second-rate bank account which is not giving you value for money. It is easy to make the change to one which gives you the best rate on the market, so you can make the most of your hard-earned cash."

Almost half (47 per cent) of Britons feel they don't have enough money to attain their first choice in certain areas of their life. A further 15 per cent feel that it is out of their own personal control to get what they really want.

Gillian Almond added: "Settling for second best is easy when it comes to personal finance, as many current account providers rely on apathy or misplaced loyalty to give you no return on your cash at all. People should vote with their feet, and hot-foot it to an account which gives market-leading interest, at a time when others are reducing the value they provide."