Money more important than family and friends?

Money

A study has found that millions rank money more highly than friendship or their families.

The research, commissioned by Skrill, an e-commerce business that facilitates online payments, revealed that three out of ten said money was more important to them than their friends, while 28 per cent named it as more of a priority to them than spending time with their family.

More than one in four considered it to be more important than job security, while 29 per cent think it is more significant than how happy they are in their career.

For a quarter of those polled, socialising with friends is the first thing to be sacrificed when money is tight.

Another one in ten save money by going out less with their partner while one in 20 spend less on their families.

£1,922.75 a month - the equivalent of £26,500 a year - after tax was believed to be the optimum amount for a comfortable lifestyle,

Most believe they could afford a life of luxury on £4,413 a month after tax and national insurance are deducted - this would require an annual salary of more than £80,000, which is more than three times the national average of £26,100.

The research found that more than one in five think cash will disappear over the next 20 years, with the internet and mobile phones being used for purchases instead.