The Birmingham accent is considered the least attractive accent in the British Isles

The Birmingham accent is considered the least attractive accent in the British Isles – and Southern Irish the most appealing

A quick analysis of English dialects shows that there are roughly as many in the British Isles as there are in the whole of North America – including Canada, Bermuda and Native American dialects. The same categorisation would, in North America, result in there being about one dialect per 10m people; in the British Isles there would be one for every 1.3m. Britain is highly peculiar in its linguistic variation, and the cultural contours associated with these differences make a small country feel large.

First impressions of unearned features, such as accents, still have an impact on success, in employment, social life and elsewhere. New YouGov research looks at public opinion towards 12 of the main accents of the British Isles, revealing clear winners and losers, at least in terms of what is seen as attractive.

The Birmingham accent, more specifically 'Brummie', has lost the battle of appeal. In net terms it scores -53, 20 points below than the second-lowest: 'Scouse', the accent of Liverpool, on -33. The map below can be explored for full results.

The Irish aren’t usually big contenders when it comes to worldwide competitions, but they win this one hands down. From the soft lilt of the North to the cheeky tones of Dublin, there’s something special about the Irish. There’s no denying that they have a way with words and are masters of storytelling – they’ll have you so bamboozled that you’ll walk away not quite sure whether you’ve been praised or insulted. It’s likely that the new-found popularity of the brogue amongst women is thanks to such heart-breakers as Colin Farrell,Liam Neeson and Michael Fassbender.