UK's favourite accent unveiled - with a surprising winner
A new nationwide poll has revealed which regional accent is favoured among Brits by analysing dialect, slang and tone - and it revealed a very surprising trend
A new poll has revealed which British accent members of the public favour - and there's a surprising winner.
The London accent has been officially named the UK's favourite regional accent, according to a new nationwide survey. The poll, which explored public attitudes toward dialect, slang and tone across Britain, revealed that every region favours its own local accent.
People in the North West preferred Scouse or Mancunian, while those in the North East chose Geordie. In Scotland, Glaswegian accents were the most popular locally, and residents of the East Midlands preferred voices from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
But when the responses were combined across the country, the London accent came out on top overall.
Some 15 percent of people across the UK selected the London accent as their favourite. An additional four percent picked Cockney, a traditional East London variant, meaning nearly one in five people preferred the sound of the capital's voices.
In second place was the Yorkshire accent, followed by Scouse, Geordie and Northern Irish.
The London accent also ranked highest when respondents were asked which accent they found most attractive, with Northern Irish and Scouse voices following behind.
Londoners were also perceived as the most trustworthy speakers in the UK, narrowly beating the Yorkshire accent and received pronunciation - often referred to as BBC English.
The survey also found that London voices are the most commonly heard in UK media, ahead of received pronunciation and Home Counties accents.
Despite the London accent leading overall, regional pride remained strong. The data showed that across every area of the UK, respondents favoured their own regional tones most, highlighting how strongly people identify with local speech patterns.
The findings suggest that a combination of cultural familiarity, media presence and associations with confidence and style may have helped the London accent stand out to listeners across the country.
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