Money worries on the rise: 2010 a bad year in the South West say over a third of people

By PRSD, on Monday, December 20, 2010

Stressed and worried: The Samaritan’s annual survey has revealed those in the South West are concerned money’s going to be too tight next year

Samaritans’ annual survey of the nation’s worries shows that well over half (57 per cent) of people in the South West fear they will not have enough money to live comfortably next year, with over a third (38 per cent) worried about losing their jobs or having difficulty finding work.

The YouGov poll of more than 2,000 people identified money (debt and bank balance) as one of the South West’s biggest concerns of the past year as well, with half (50 per cent) of the South West population saying it was one of their top-five worries of 2010, compared with 46 per cent in 2009.

The other main sources of anxiety during 2010 were world affairs (32 per cent), domestic politics (29 per cent), relationships with family and friends (29 per cent) and physical health (28 per cent). In 2009, the South West’s top-five worries aside from money were relationships with family and friends (34 per cent), physical health (33 per cent), domestic politics (32 per cent) and world affairs (29 per cent).

The survey also found that 2010 was considered a bad year or the worst year ever by over a third (35 per cent) of the South West population. It showed too that just under a fifth (19 per cent) of people in the region didn’t seek support from anyone to help them cope with their worries.

Other key findings for the South West were:

the percentage of people with job security as one of their top-five worries has increased steadily from 22 per cent in 2009 to 25 per cent in 2010, with well over a third (38 per cent) of people worried about keeping or finding jobs next year
over half (56 per cent) of people are worried that they will suffer directly in 2011 from the cuts in spending on public services
seventeen per cent of people are worried about losing their homes over the coming year
the number of people experiencing workplace stress increased from 18 per cent in 2009 to a quarter (25 per cent) in 2010.

Samaritans’ chief executive, Catherine Johnstone, told the PRSD: “In the South West, people continue to worry about their health and their relationships, but, unsurprisingly, their concerns have become increasingly focused over the past year on having enough money to live comfortably. It’s also clear that many people are anxious about keeping their jobs and their homes. The most important thing to remember in these tough times is that we can all help each other and no one should suffer alone.

“We are appealing to anyone facing difficulties, no matter what they are, to call Samaritans. Our volunteers will be there to listen to your worries 24 hours a day, every day, over the Christmas period and throughout the coming year.”

• Samaritans: For people experiencing emotional distress and struggling to cope, our volunteers are there 24/7 to offer confidential, non-judgmental support to anyone feeling down, unhappy, anxious or stressed, by phone: 08457 90 90 90 (UK) or 1850 60 90 90 (ROI); email: jo@samaritans.org; or face-to-face: visit the Samaritans website for details of your local branch.