Spending money and fights top list of regrets for Americans

Americans are more likely to regret the things they didn’t do than the things they have done.

That’s according to a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults split evenly by generation which found that only 11% of Americans don’t have regrets. 

Between not speaking up (40%), not visiting family or friends enough (36%) and not pursuing  their dreams (35%), those missed opportunities add up. 

In their lifetime, Americans average three missed chances to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip, four  lost opportunities to ask their crush out and six instances of not having the perfect comeback in an argument.

On the flip side, the top actions Americans regret doing include spending money or purchasing something (49%), fighting with friends or family (43%) and making an unnecessary comment  (36%).

Over the years, Americans also regret an average of five angry text messages and two break-ups. 

In fact, nearly one-third (32%) of baby boomers have a regret that spans three decades and still crosses their minds an average of three times per month. 

While millennials’ oldest regret is only about 11 years old, they average fretting about it almost once per week, more than any other generation.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Mucinex, results revealed that Americans are almost twice as likely to make bad decisions at night (41%) than in the morning (22%).

Moreover, Americans also tend to regret something more at night (43%). Nighttime decisions such as not going to bed at a decent time (47%), eating too many snacks or too much food  (36%) and arguing with a loved one (35%) are the most likely to negatively impact Americans the next morning.

For Gen Zers, failing to do their nighttime routine (29%) or forgetting to turn on their alarm (22%)  will almost always ensure morning distress.

These poor choices not only cause regret but also put Americans in a bad mood (39%), leave them unable to tackle the day (29%) or even inhibit them from fulfilling the day’s responsibilities  (20%).

But what factors are contributing to these bad decisions? According to the results, being tired  (40%), sick and desperate for relief (20%) or after a long night out (15%) are the most likely culprits.

“We don’t make the best decisions when we’re sick or tired, especially at night,” said  Albert So, Marketing Director, Upper Respiratory at Reckitt. “And while no one is going to get it  right every single time, it’s important to have products you can rely on to help you make better decisions, so you don’t wake up with regrets.” 

For all the bad decisions made and opportunities missed, 48% of Americans still agree with the  common saying, “never regret anything because, at one moment, it was exactly what you  wanted.” 

This may be because almost two-thirds (64%) believe that their decision-making has gotten better as they’ve gotten older. 

Results also revealed that some “bad” decisions don’t always result in feelings of regret. Staying up late with friends (24%), quitting a job (23%), taking a chance on a new food (20%), moving  somewhere new (17%) and going to a concert on a weeknight (10%) are all choices Americans  consider to have been “worth it.”

“Few things are worse than starting your day regretting a choice you made the night before,  especially when you're suffering from cold and flu symptoms, and have a busy day ahead,” said  Albert So. “Feeling better starts with getting a good night's sleep and making smart decisions  before bed so you wake up feeling ready to go with no regrets.”

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans split evenly by generation; the survey was commissioned by Mucinex and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between August 16 to August 22, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.