I stumbled upon this article (Link Here) which they gathered about 1,200 Americans people to survey what would these people give up in order to get a 10% immediate raise in their salary.
The question is of course, hypothetical in nature and by no means reflects an opinion which we might personally have it ourselves but I thought it’s still an interesting exercise to ponder about just for fun.
To add some spice to this, I’ve picked up a few questions which I thought was interesting to have, and I have added my own opinions on the questions.
You can let me know your own thoughts in the comments below.
Working Related
1.) 55.9% would work an extra 10 hours per week for life
B: To be frank, an extra 10 hours per week isn’t exactly a lot because it translates into about 2 hours per day which technically means you are working for about 10 hours in total. This is probably the reason why most would go for it given that they are probably already doing that. For me, I wouldn’t vote for this because I am literally buying an extra time with money, which I am already deprived of for most of the day. Working an extra time means lesser time to do other activities that we love and this is not in line with the financial independence concept that I pursue. Of course, if you are already doing the work that you love, then this just adds a spice dimension to it and I don’t see why not.
2.) 50.4% would work one day every weekend for the next year
B: This is not much different from the question above given that you are essentially buying time for money with the only exception that you only have to do it for a year and that’s it (compared to the above where you have to work for life). Literally speaking, the majority of these people who have voted yes for this could have find a weekend job and work for it. It doesn’t make sense for them to wait for the reality to kick in. Personally for my case, I wouldn’t vote for this as well because weekends are my treasure days where the family could be together doing common activities.
3.) 15.27% would give up all of their paid vacation days for the next five years
B: Generally speaking, we have about 14-18 paid leave in a calendar year so from a mathematical point of view, the monetary benefits seem to favour the give up. Plus, this is only for the next 5 years so essentially you can resume back your paid leave after that. Again, personally for me, I wouldn’t go for it because I usually utilized my paid leave for quite a few activities that I am working on and they are priceless to me.
Social Related
4.) 53.55% would give up all social media accounts (facebook, Instagram, twitter) for the next five years
B: Wow, this is a hard one for me! I know that social media accounts are generally tabloids that are filled with the latest gossips in town or newsfeed of your friends happening but to be without them for the next five years is still too much to accommodate for me. No as well on this one. P.S: It’ll be interesting though to see how others might vote on this one.
5.) 88.61% would give up watching Game of Thrones for life
B: I’m game for this one. I am not a big fan of GOT personally and would readily give up for an extra 10% increase in my pay. Give it to me right now!
6.) 43.86% would give up exercise for the next five years
B: I need my exercise after sitting in the office for almost half of the day, especially on a weekend. No for me.
7.) 73.42% would give up all alcoholic beverages for the next five years
B: I think I can do with this one, though five years without alcohol does seem a bit odd weird taste in my mouth. My mouth will get itchy but it is something I can do without.
Others Related
8.) 34.98% would give up the right to vote in all elections for life
B: This is getting more to the political side. This is a bit of a hard one as well but I’d favour a yes on this one for the sake of that 10%! Do it before I change my mind!
9.) 12.2% would break up with their partner or significant other
B: I seriously don’t understand this. Why would anyone be willing to break up with their significant other for only a mere 10% increase in your pay? Surely your other significant half is worth more than 10% of your entire salary! Wake up please!
Final Thoughts
Even though this is just a fun exercise, we can deduce what are the factors that are important to us in life.
Most of the easy yes or no comes from the fact that we are already not valuing that, for example in my case above I have not watched a single episode of the GOT but what if someone who are a big fan of GOT would reply? It’s always harder when you have to weigh the sacrifice that you are already doing for something that you need.
It’s also interesting to see if we change the question to maybe a higher amount, say for instance a million dollars instead of a mere 10% increase, would any of your answer have changed then.
Thanks for reading.
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'34.98% would give up the right to vote in all elections for life'
It's easy to take democracy for granted when you've known nothing else. Giving up your right to vote – for ever – for some extra cash… Sad considering the blood shed over the centuries to gain such freedoms.
Hi SDC
Looks like that's the case in SG over the past few elections isnt' it 🙂
Last time when I was young
I willing to sacrifice everything for money
Now is a Nono for me
I just want more time to rest and for my family
Hi Yeh
Same with me, family above money and anything else.
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