Gender Spending Habits in the UK

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The following report is based off of a survey that was carried out from 27/02/2015-02/03/2015 and given to 2,000 adults in the UK.

  1. Be honest, do you ever turn a “blind-eye” to your finances?
Female Male
Yes – all the time 12% 17%
Yes – occasionally 42% 36%
No 46% 47%
  1. Do you ever go over your budget?                                                                                       
Female Male
Yes – all the time 16% 16%
Yes – but only occasionally 53% 49%
No – never 21% 23%
I don’t have a budget 10% 12%
  1. Do you put money in your savings every month?                                                                                                               
Female Male
Yes – always 29% 34%
Yes – sometimes 38% 37%
No 23% 20%
I don’t have any savings 11% 9% 
  1. If so, on average, how much do you put in your savings every month?
Female Male
0-50 22% 14%
51-100 24% 19%
101-200 19% 20%
201-300 13% 17%
301-400 8% 12%
401-500 6% 7%
501-600 2% 4%
601-700 1% 1%
701-800 1% 1%
801-900 1% 0%
901-1000 0% 1%
1001+ 1% 3%
Average £193 £247
  1. Where do you keep your savings?                                                                                 
Female Male
Bank account 40% 34%
A special account such as an ISA 37% 38%
Building society account 14% 18%
In a drawer at home 4% 5%
Other 4% 5%
  1. Do you regularly eat into your savings?                                                                                        
Female Male
Yes – all the time 12% 17%
Yes – only when I need to 54% 49%
No – I’m very strict 34% 35%
  1. Would you be willing to disclose how much is currently in your savings account?
Female Male
Yes 39% 41%
No 47% 45%
I don’t know how much I have 14% 15% 
  1. How much have you currently got in your savings?                                                                                                                       
Female Male
0 5% 4%
1-250 13% 10%
251-500 8% 4%
501-750 4% 6%
751-1000 7% 8%
1001-2000 13% 11%
2001-3000 6% 7%
3001-4000 5% 3%
4001-5000 5% 7%
5001-7500 6% 4%
7501-10000 5% 6%
10001-20000 9% 9%
20001-30000 3% 4%
30001+ 10% 19%
Average £6,803 £9,695
  1. How many credit cards do you have?                                                                                                     
Female Male
5+ 2% 5%
3-4 15% 24%
1-2 54% 49%
0 29% 21%
Average 1.5 1.9
  1. What do you use your credit card(s) for?                                                                                          
Female Male
To buy holidays 36% 41%
To pay bills 26% 35%
To buy groceries 41% 39%
To pay my rent or mortgage 5% 8%
To pay for repairs 17% 20%
To pay for emergencies 43% 36%
To buy things for myself 33% 30%
To buy things for others 26% 24%
To borrow cash 4% 4%
I use it for everything 13% 15%
Other 5% 3%
  1. Do you know how much debt you’re in at the moment?                                                                                                                     
Female Male
Yes – I know exactly 22% 25%
Yes – I know roughly 31% 29%
No – I don’t know 9% 10%
I’m not in any debt 38% 36%
  1. Do you generally keep a track of your spending?                                                                                                            
Female Male
Yes – all the time 52% 55%
Yes – sometimes 38% 32%
No 10% 12%
  1. Do you ever struggle to pay off your credit card?                                                                                                               
Female Male
Yes – all the time 14% 16%
Yes – sometimes 28% 28%
No 58% 55%
  1. Which of the following statements best describes you?
Female Male
I buy things when I want them, whether I have the money or not 9% 10%
I sometimes finance purchases, but I mostly wait until I can afford them 35% 33%
I only buy things when I can afford it 50% 45%
None of the above 7% 11%
  1. What kind of relationship are you in? Tick which best applies?                                                                           
Female Male
Married 58% 60%
Engaged 11% 9%
Long-term relationship, no plans to marry 24% 22%
Dating 5% 4%
Other 3% 4%
  1. Who in your relationship would you say is better at handling the purse strings?
Female Male
Man 17% 40%
Woman 48% 26%
Both the same 35% 34%
  1. In your relationship, who would you say makes most of the decisions about what you buy?
Female Male
Me 36% 29%
My Partner 16% 22%
Both the same 48% 49%
  1. On average, what proportion of your income is already committed to paying for things before you get it? Give your answer as a percentage %
Female Male
0 11% 10%
1-10 11% 16%
11-25 21% 24%
26-50 24% 25%
51-75 23% 17%
76-100 10% 8%
Average £37 £33
  1. Do you and your partner have a joint account?                                                                                                              
Female Male
Yes 51% 50%
No 49% 50%
  1. If so, what do you use this joint account for?
Female Male
To buy holidays 28% 30%
To pay bills 68% 61%
To buy groceries 52% 49%
To pay my rent or mortgage 44% 35%
To pay for repairs 37% 32%
To pay for emergencies 34% 30%
To buy things for myself 27% 24%
To buy things for others 29% 22%
To borrow cash 5% 6%
I use it for everything 30% 30%
Other 2% 2%
  1. Have you ever paid for something frivolous on the joint account and not told your partner?
Female Male
Yes – many times 8% 17%
Yes – once or twice 24% 21%
No 67% 61%
  1. Do you have a secret account that your partner doesn’t know about?
Female Male
Yes – I have a few 6% 9%
Yes – I have one 14% 19%
No 80% 71%
  1. If so, how much money do you put into your secret account(s) each month? (in £)
Female Male
0 9% 5%
1-10 10% 15%
11-20 14% 15%
21-50 21% 15%
51-100 22% 20%
101-200 9% 14%
201-250 9% 5%
251-500 2% 3%
501-1000 3% 3%
1001-2000 1% 1%
2001-2500 0% 1%
2501+ 0% 2%
Average £103 £186
  1. What is your secret account(s) for?                                                                                          
Female Male
To save for the future 39% 36%
To save for vacation 33% 36%
To save for a divorce 23% 22%
To pay for lessons or education 16% 18%
To buy things for myself 22% 17%
To buy thing for people who are not my partner 5% 5%
To buy things to surprise my partner 5% 6%
Other 3% 2%
  1. Out of the following, what are you confident you know and don’t know? (Tick all that apply)
Choice Female Male
The exact amount in my main bank account I’m confident I know this 84% 83%
I don’t know this 16% 17%
The amount I have saved I’m confident I know this 82% 80%
I don’t know this 18% 20%
The exact amount I get paid each month I’m confident I know this 85% 83%
I don’t know this 15% 17%
My outstanding debt I’m confident I know this 81% 81%
I don’t know this 19% 19%
My monthly credit card bill I’m confident I know this 78% 78%
I don’t know this 22% 22%
My monthly grocery bill I’m confident I know this 70% 69%
I don’t know this 30% 31%
How much your partner has spends each month I’m confident I know this 53% 56%
I don’t know this 47% 44%
  1. Which of the following statements best describes your partner?
Female Male
They buy things when they want them, whether they have the money or not 16% 15%
They sometimes finance purchases, but they mostly wait until they can afford them 32% 32%
They only buy things when they can afford it 44% 41%
None of the above 9% 13%

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