Money worries ‘the biggest concern for Britons’

Concerns about money are more likely to cause Britons to have sleepless nights than anything else, a new survey has found.

A study by Zurich found 45 per cent of Britons list money matters as something likely to keep them up at night, a higher figure than that for any of the other seven European countries where people were interviewed.

However, unlike nations in the eurozone the single currency crisis is not such as issue, with only seven per cent troubled by this.

Worry about the bottom line exceeds children and family issues, which 36 per cent are troubled by, followed by noisy neighbours (29 per cent) and pressure at work or school (26 per cent).

Chief marketing officer for Zurich general insurance in the UK Kay Martin said: "With rising household bills, it's no surprise that a lot of people are being kept awake at night worrying about money."

Those who are enduring sleepless nights because of serious debt problems may find they can relax more after seeking help and getting a debt management plan in place. This can help spread payments out, making them more manageable and getting creditors onside in an agreement to manage the problem.

It is not just research by Zurich that has indicated money to be a major source of anxiety.

Friends Life has found nearly half of UK workers have felt stressed since the financial crisis began and over half of the 32 per cent of the working population who have ever called in sick due to stress have done so in the past year.

The poll, conducted ahead of National Stress Awareness Day on November 7th, found money was the biggest cause of stress for 36 per cent of people, followed by work (25 per cent) and relationships (16 per cent).

Many of those troubled by work may be concerned about their job security in the current economic climate.

Posted by Paul Thacker