One In Four Brits Hiding Debt From Loved Ones

Thu, 19 Nov 2009

Millions of Britons are keeping their debts hidden from their loved ones, according to new research.

A study carried out by insurer AXA as a part of its My Budget Day campaign revealed a quarter of UK adults (12.2 million people) are hiding some form of debt (money owed on loans, credit cards, overdrafts, etc) from their family and friends.

AXA found that the average Brit is hiding £4,096 of debt, meaning that the total level of so-called hidden debt in the UK could potentially be as high as £50 billion.

According to the research, people aged 19-30 have the most hidden debt (26 per cent) and are most likely to lie about the state of their finances (44 per cent), while those aged 36-40 and 46-50 have the highest levels of hidden debt (£5883).

A third of people conceal their debt problems because they are embarrassed about their situation, 23 per cent do so because they fear how their loved ones will react, and 14 per cent simply don’t realise how much money they owe.

In terms of gender, AXA discovered that more men than women are likely to keep their debts secret, although on average women have £500 more worth of hidden debt than their male counterparts.

Commenting on the findings, AXA spokeswoman Alison Green said: "There are over 12 million people in the UK today hiding their debt and financial concerns from their partners and family. Be that through embarrassment, fear or, in some cases, ignorance."

"The important thing is for people to take control of their finances and get the help and the support they need. The first step of which is taking stock of their debt and sharing this with the people in their lives."
add to favouritesnewsletterlink to this pagesend to friendpost comments

Link to this page

Copy and Paste the following HTML into your page.