Debt Worries 'Biggest Financial Concern' for Many

Half of all Britons are "worried" that they will fall into debt over the next year, pollsters YouGov have said.

According to a survey of over 2,000 adults conducted by the firm, the main financial concern of 46 per cent of people is that they might not be able to "make ends meet", thanks to rising food, fuel and mortgage costs. YouGov found that the debt concerns were highest among women (50 per cent of whom listed it as their chief money worry) and 35 to 44-year-olds (57 per cent).

News of the survey comes on the day that the government's preferred inflation benchmark was released, showing that price rises pushed the rate up to 3.3 per cent last month. This is 0.2 per cent ahead of analysts' predictions, and 1.3 per cent above the Bank of England's target inflation rate.

Owen Roberts at Callcredit, the credit reports firm which commissioned the YouGov study, commented: "The sharp rise in the cost of fuel and food combined with fears over falling house prices are impacting our attitudes towards our finances."

He added: "It appears that people are most concerned about short term survival in light of spiralling costs, and many can't see the situation improving over the coming 12 months."