Did you see that YouGov dug up its old poll on the best and worst accents in the British Isles and it sparked quite the row online this week?
Well, in case you missed it, the market research and data analytics firm took to Twitter to respond to a tweet that intended to “start a civil war” by asking people for their takes on what the “worst accent” in the UK was, and so decided to shared the results from its controversial 2014 poll – which rated accents based on how attractive or unattractive they are.
The ‘Southern Irish’ accent was found to be the most appealing, according to those who voted, claiming a net attractiveness score of +42.
Other accents deemed attractive and placing highly include received pronunciation (RP) – or ‘BBC English’ – Welsh, Yorkshire, West Country, and Geordie, while the Scouse, Cockney, Glaswegian, and unfortunately for us, Mancunian, accents ranked low on the list.
The Birmingham, or ‘Brummie’ accent, was voted to be the most unattractive in the poll.
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Brummie is the worst accent in the UK, according to a 2014 YouGov study
At the time the poll was conducted, YouGov said thee were some “vast differences” in perceived attractiveness of accents.
And if the recent rowing on Twitter is anything to go by, that’s definitely the case.
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YouGov said that the West Country accent is considered the most attractive to over-60s, with 63% of the oldest generation seeing it as attractive, compared to only 22% of 18-24 year-olds. The opposite perception had developed for Northern Irish too, with most 18-24 year-olds (54%) seeing it as attractive, compared to only 37% of over-60s, and then the Geordie accent also had a greater appeal to older British people too.
Here’s the list in full:
The Most Attractive Accents in the British Isles
Southern Irish
Received Pronunciation
Welsh
Yorkshire
West Country
Geordie
Northern Irish
Glaswegian
Cockney
Mancunian
Scouse
Brummie
YouGov’s controversial 2014 poll rated British accents based on how attractive or unattractive they are / Credit: Unsplash (Amy Humphries)
The results from the poll, unsurprisingly, sparked criticism and got a lot of people talking.
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But rather than people just being outraged that their accents were deemed to be unattractive and making claims that it isn’t the case, criticism largely came from the structure and wording of the survey instead.
Plenty of people called out the term ‘Southern Irish’ and objected to Ireland falling under the umbrella of ‘the British Isles’ while the explaining that the country of Ireland has countless different accent and dialect variations.
Similar criticisms were also levelled at the use of ‘Welsh’ and ‘Northern Irish’, while many couldn’t wrap their heads around why ‘Glaswegian’ appeared to be the only Scottish accent on the list.
The most common critique from people responding on social media was that the UK is filled with accents that change ever-so-slightly, or in some cases quite drastically, from one town or city to the next – for which the region of Greater Manchester is a great example of – and so it doesn’t really make sense to generalise and say that one place has one specific and distinctive accent.
Do you agree? Fancy having a read through some of the responses and critiques by people? Keen to give your thoughts on the debate?
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You can get stuck in over on YouGov’s Twitter here.
2027 Manchester Marathon sells out in record time after biggest event ever
Danny Jones
The 2027 adidas Manchester Marathon has already sold out in record time after the biggest event in the race’s history.
Incredible stuff.
Yes, after more than 42,000 runners took on this year’s 26.2-mile challenge – the highest number to date – public places for next year’s Manchester Marathon have gone in the blink of an eye.
To be specific, they were snapped up in just 10 days: even faster than the last time around, with 2026 having also broken the previous fastest (or PB, if you will) time before that.
Posting on social media, the organisers wrote: “We’re blown away by the response as a record-breaking number of public places were secured during our launch window, and we’re now officially at capacity.
“Thank you for the amazing support. We can’t wait to help you turn your 26.2 dreams into reality.”
They also went on to remind people that even if they missed out, potential participants can still secure a place through their official charity partners.
Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Teaming up with numerous non-profit organisations over the decades after it first began way back in 1908, before enjoying multiple stints during the 1980s and late 90s into the noughties, huge sums have been raised over the years.
It’s never anything less than a heartwarming and inspiring day.
The modern MCR Marathon, as we know it, returned in its present format nearly a decade and a half ago, beginning its current collaboration with sportswear giants adidas, therefore helping raise the profile even further, with the 2026 fundraising tally also reaching a record-breaking £5.2 million this past April.
At the moment, the Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Once again, these organisations, along with the likes of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and many more, will continue to offer charity places for the 2027 Manchester Marathon, provided you can hit the fundraising total.
We don’t know about you, but we’re loving this city and the surrounding boroughs being well and truly in their running era, and we also urge all of you who make up part of the local culture to immerse yourself in all aspects – especially when it comes to the post-race season party…
DJs, karaoke, quizzing, three full rooms, an entire beer garden to themselves, and MUCH more. 👀
Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
Emily Sergeant -
7th January 2022 
