Regrets, I've had a few: Americans regret lost money more than lost love

Finance, more than romance, is the biggest source of regret in Americans' lives

Regrets can come in many forms, from wishing that you'd taken a chance and pushed your luck to looking back and wishing that you'd kept your mouth shut and travelled the safe road. A particularly recent and public example of a decision that came to be regretted was the Seattle Seahawks' bizarre call to make a passing play in the final seconds of the Super Bowl, despite being only a yard from the endzone. Another Seattlite, however, who got a 'back to back champions' tattoo insists that he doesn't regret that particular decision.

Research from YouGov shows that finances are the largest source of regret in people's lives. 22% of Americans say that they have 'a lot' of regrets about their financial decisions, compared to 19% who have a lot of regrets about their romantic lives. Overall 44% have 'a lot' or 'some' regrets about finances, 40% about romance, 31% about family, 29% about friends and only 22% about moral issues.

Older Americans are both less likely to say they have no regrets or a lot of regrets about their lives. 11% of under-30s say that they have no regrets and 15% say that they have a lot. Among over-65s only 3% have no regrets and 8% have a lot of regrets. Most (52%) say that they have 'a few' regrets.

Overall, poorer Americans tend to say that they have more regrets about their lives than other Americans. People whose household incomes are under $40,000 a year (22%) are twice as likely to say that they have a lot of regrets about their life in general compared to people who earn over $40,000 a year.

Full poll results can be found here and topline results and margin of error here.