New research has rated the top 12 main accents in the British Isles by attractiveness – and the results may surprise you.
YouGov asked 2,018 adults to rate English dialects from a scale of very attractive, fairly attractive, fairly unattractive, very unattractive, neither or 'don't know.'
According to the results, the most beguiling accent is Southern Irish, with Received Pronunciation a close second.
The most attractive accents in the British Isles - mapped
Languishing at the bottom of the charts are Mancunian, Scouse and Brummie.
Will Dahlgreen of YouGov said: “First impressions of unearned features, such as accents, still have an impact on success in employment, social life and elsewhere.”
He adds: “There are some vast differences in perceived attractiveness of accents by age. The West Country accent is considered the most attractive to over-60s.
Dick Van Dyke was famously mocked for his 'cockney' accent in Mary Poppins
“63% of the oldest generation see it as attractive, compared to only 22% of 18-24 year-olds. The opposite perception has developed for Northern Irish, with most 18-24 year-olds (54%) seeing it as attractive compared to only 37% of over-60s. Geordie, the Newcastle accent, also has a greater appeal to older British people.
“Additionally, there is a tendency to like ones own. People in London score cockney net -16, while overall it is disliked by -30; Glaswegian is liked by net 7 in Scotland, but a greatly different -29 among Britain as a whole. The pattern continues for the other regions and their respective accents as well.”
The list in full:
- Southern Irish
- Received Pronunciation
- Welsh
- Yorkshire
- West Country
- Geordie (Newcastle)
- Northern Irish
- Glaswegian (Glasgow)
- Cockney (London)
- Mancunian (Manchester)
- Scouse (Liverpool)
- Brummie (Birmingham)
In a show of solidarity, The Liverpool Echo has responded to the poll by instructing readers to “tell us why it’s them who are talking rubbish” and resurrecting a previous feature entitled Top 26 Things Only Scousers Say.
Conversely, Wales Online has taken great pleasure in citing a separate study which claims people on Twitter are more likely to find the Welsh accent sexy rather than ugly.
