Leeds among most ambitious cities in UK - but most 'don't have money' to make dreams a reality says research

Figures made public today show that 77 per cent of Leeds residents surveyed said that not having enough money was a key reason for having failed to achieve a dream previously.

Other reasons include lacking confidence (39%) and not having the right technology (12%).

Despite this, more than half of those surveyed said they planned to start a business in 2018, making the people of Leeds among the most ambitious in the country, according to figures from tech and smartphone firm Huawei.

Key findings also include:

-Leeds is the UK’s second most ambitious city according to the study, behind Exeter

-89% of people from Leeds have one or more life ambition they long to fulfil

-Almost half of people in Leeds (47%) admit they have tried and failed to make their dreams a reality previously

-Biggest reasons for failure were not having the right technology (12%), lacking confidence (39%) and not enough money (77%), with an average of £6,951 spent trying to pursue their dreams

-Despite this, people from Leeds don’t plan to give up, with over half (54%) claiming they plan to start a business in 2018

Steven Bartlett, CEO and founder of Social Chain, said: "It doesn’t surprise me that we are an ambitious nation. I see every day people who have incredible ideas and goals. I firmly believe technology can help people achieve their dream be that a professional goal or a more lifestyle focused desire. I have used technology to build a business that was a long term dream of mine and am delighted to be working with Huawei to inspire people to use technology to unlock their own potential.”

James Jie, Huawei UK Managing Director, added: "At Huawei we believe smartphone technology is key to empowering people and helping them to make the impossible possible. We believe our latest product, the AI enabled Mate 10 Pro, to be the device that will help them to do this.”

The survey has been released in conjunction with Huawei’s ‘I Am What I Do’ campaign, which features tech-driven entrepreneurs showcasing how AI technology can enrich people’s lives to mark the recent launch of the AI powered Mate 10 Pro.