An Exploration of Worth 2020

29 November 2021

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An Exploration of Worth is a research report that looks at what people value in their lives and how they decide what’s worthwhile. In August 2020, we partnered with YouGov to ask more than 8,000 UK adults about their attitudes to their careers and finances, as well as what they think it’s worth spending money on.

The results of the research provide an insight into our priorities as a nation and what we value most in 2020, and raise interesting questions about what that might mean for the future.

Read the full report

Download here

Key findings of our research

Many people consider having savings set aside for emergencies to be important, with two in three people we surveyed agreeing it’s worthwhile.

of people think that being able to manage our finances digitally is worthwhile.

More than half of us

say the coronavirus pandemic has made us much less likely to use cash…

…but using physical cash does help remind over half (52%) of people of the real value of money, and one in three people (31%) say that physical money helps them to budget.

Most UK workers we surveyed (63%) say that having a job that's enjoyable is worth more to them than how much money they earn.

Although most people (63%) enjoy what they do for a living, the majority of UK workers (65%) would give up their job if they won the lottery.

Improving our homes is considered a worthwhile expense for some, with 40% of UK homeowners saying they plan to spend more money on their home in the next 12 months.

And despite having to amuse ourselves at home in 2020, only 3% of people said they plan to increase their spending on on-demand entertainment services in the next 12 months.

Putting our pounds towards more ethical purchases in the future could be worthwhile too, with almost half of those surveyed saying that they will try to try to shop more ethically.

Download our 2020 report

Capturing the nation’s attitudes, behaviours and opinions towards our financial and working lives, An Exploration of Worth 2020 looks at what people consider most worthwhile – and raises interesting questions about their future priorities.

Download (pdf)

The content in this article is for information only and is not advice. All content in this article was accurate on 10 November 2020.

The content in this article is for information only and is not advice. All content in this article was accurate on the date of publication shown above.