NEWS COPY - By Emma Elsworthy
The average Brit reckons they take ten ‘risks’ a week, according to a study.
Leaving the house without a coat, letting the phone battery go lower than 50 per cent charged and going to bed past 11pm on a school night feature in the top 40 list of ‘little risks’.
Other mini risks, which emerged in the poll of 2,000 adults, include going outside with wet hair, ordering something other than the usual at a restaurant or veering from the norm when buying lunch.
While some consider driving the car with little petrol and jumping down the last few steps of the staircase a little chancy.
Others feel they’re taking a risk if they dip into their savings, go into their overdraft or fail to pay their bills on time.
Stacey Stothard from Skipton Building Society, which carried out the study via OnePoll.com, said: “A risk is subjective and this research shows some of the everyday decisions Brits make that they consider come with a degree of risk to them.
"From the chance of a poor food choice through to the possibility a decision could leave you without your mobile phone working– this new list reveals the top 40 scenarios Brits consider their most common little risks.
“What’s interesting is this research presents a good snapshot of how we recognise and accept risk, together with our own personal boundaries and how far we’re prepared to push them.
"People naturally see risk in different things, having different appetites to those risks.
"But the gap between what we consider to be risky together with the potential reward is ultimately what our decision is based on.
"And this will likely differ depending on the wider risk subject and our personal involvement in it.”
Researchers found Brits consider pressing snooze on the alarm, reading in the bath, boarding an airplane last and spending without checking the bank balance first to be risky.
Nearly three quarters of adults have taken a mini-risk without thinking through the consequences, and 50 per cent describe themselves as risk-takers in general.
The study suggests that Brits look to take micro-risks to increase their adrenaline levels, as 66 per cent admit they wish they had more exciting lives.
And the same percentage wish they could be more spontaneous and daring, to make their lives more colourful.
Taking a little risk leaves 24 per cent of Brits feeling free, 28 per cent feeling exhilarated and 40 percent feeling ‘nervous’, according to the results.
However, 46 per cent of respondents have had a seemingly harmless risk backfiring spectacularly on them.
One Brit tried to sneakily hop on a train without having a ticket – only to be promptly caught by a revenue protection team and forced to pay a fine.
Another was left red-faced after not checking their bank balance and attempting to do a food shop – only to realise too late there wasn’t enough money in their account.
And a third assumed someone in their family would be home later to let them in – only to find themselves locked out for hours later that evening.
Unsurprisingly, the weekend is the time we’re most likely to take a little risk – with Friday night the most likely time.
And a quarter think the area of their life they’re most likely to take a risk in would be with their social life – with a fifth being most likely to risk their finances.
When it comes to money, failing to get advice from a financial expert is 21st on the top 40 lists of ‘mini risk’ Brits are guilty of taking.
Stacey Stothard added: “A risk can loosely be defined as the potential to gain or lose something of value.
"But it’s not just fear of making a wrong decision that can lead to a ‘loss’; not taking any action can also do the same.
"It’s a matter of balancing the potential risk versus the potential reward.
"So when you look at someone’s appetite to financial risk, say when considering investing money in addition to a typical savings account, the best way to asses that risk is to take the time to fully explore it.
"People need to understand their own risk appetite, their financial goals, and speak to someone they can trust who has strong knowledge or experience in that specific area.
"Based on what they find out, they can then decide if investing some of their money is something they’re comfortable with, and if so, which investments best meet their individual risk appetite.”
Are you a risk-taker? Take the quiz to find out - https://talkingpoints.72point.com/wordpress/are-you-risk-taker-quiz/
THE TOP 40 ‘LITTLE RISKS’
1. Leaving the house without an umbrella/coat
2. Going to bed past 11pm on a work night
3. Getting something different for lunch
4. Leaving the house with your phone battery below
5. Ordering something other than ‘your usual’ when eating in a restaurant
6. Eating something past its sell by date
7. Getting an unplanned takeaway
8. Leaving the house without your phone
9. Turning up at a restaurant without booking first
10. Dipping into your savings
11. Jumping the last few steps on the stairs
12. Going out with wet hair
13. Going outside barefoot
14. Pressing snooze on the alarm
15. Crossing the road when the red man is showing
16. Drinking coffee or tea last thing before going to bed
17. Driving with low petrol
18. Not carrying cash in your purse/wallet
19. Going on a big night out on a work night
20. Getting the last tube/train home
21. Not seeking financial advice
22. Leaving your curtains open when you go on holiday
23. Leaving windows open in your house when you are not there
24. Driving with the petrol light on or with little petrol left
25. Spending and not checking your bank balance
26. Going on holiday where you know there will be no phone signal
27. Reading in the bath
28. Driving against the direction arrows around a car park
29. Not comparing your utility bills/savings accounts
30. Going into your overdraft
31. Not opening your post
32. Sitting in a reserved seat on the train
33. Boarding an airplane last
34. Overfilling your hand luggage or using a bag which is too big and hoping it won’t get spotted
35. Leaving a tap running
36. Not paying bills on time
37. Having a cheat meal before weigh in day
38. Turning up at a gig/cinema/event without buying a ticket first
39. Not turning on your house alarm on
40. Not locking your car
ENDS
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