The top 10 risk-taking towns in Britain

People in Burnham are most 'fearless' while those in Exeter 'play it safe', analysis finds

The likelihood of people taking part in risky activities can be analysed using data from online searches, according to the study (Getty iStock)

A village where the average detached house costs £685,000 is home to Britain’s biggest risk-takers, according to a new analysis.

The research found that people living in the town of Burnham in Buckinghamshire are the most likely to take risks, while those in Exeter are the least likely.

Behavioural scientist Ivo Vlaev, from Warwick Business School, used Google Trends data to measure what people in the UK search online and how these searches affect the likelihood of risk-taking behaviour.

"Risky" searches included words such as "gambling", "danger", "horror", "adrenaline", "start-up", "car crash" and "car accident".

While "safety" searches tended to feature words like "organised", "safety", "protection", "seatbelt", "how to", "vaccination", "safe sex" and "insurance".

The research, commissioned by peer-to-peer lending company Zopa, found that Watford is the town where people take the most balanced approach between risk and caution.

While residents showed an interest in riskier behaviours, they balanced this by Googling terms defined as "safety searches".

Professor Ivo Vlaev said: “The easiest and most practical way to investigate human behaviour on a large scale is online, specifically by what people are searching for. Our research has provided some interesting results. It showed those in Burnham are the most fearless and will most likely look for high-risk, high-yield gains while Exeter's residents prefer to play it safe.

“The findings revealed residents in Watford hit the perfect middle ground between risk and reward. This Risk and Reward Index has shown that individuals living in ‘middle’ risk towns like Watford are likely to engage in risky behaviour and chase rewards but remain cautious. These individuals would take the risk of looking for an alternative outside of the mainstream, but would still ensure that they earn a good return.“

Top ten risk-taking towns

1.Burnham

2. Hayes

3. Canterbury

4. Slough

5. Dundee

6. Basingstoke

7. Grimsby

8. Wythenshawe

9. Bradford

10. Sunderland

Top ten risk-averse towns

1. Exeter

2. Stockport

3. Poole

4. Inverness

5. Oldham

6. Stafford

7. Worcester

8. Saint Albans

9. Bletchley

10. Rochdale

SWNS