20 things

The Abbey ‘stress test'

2 June 2007

Abbey has indicated that the UK is ‘officially stressed out’ with over 63 per cent of people describing the last 12 months as stressful.

45 per cent of those that claimed to be ‘stressed out’ admitted that their stress levels had rose during the previous 12 months, with almost half claiming theirs had risen ‘substantially.’

Moving home was listed as one of the main reasons for increased stress levels, with bereavement and the pressure of a new job also both leading to increased stress amongst individuals.

6 per cent of people were worried after losing their job, while 2 per cent cited the financial complexities of divorce as a driver of increased anxiety and stress.

Regionally, the study indicated Birmingham as the stress capital of Britain.

People in the West Midlands had experienced the highest levels of stress, with 36 per cent of people in the West Midlands experiencing one of the three main stress factors over the past 12 months.

57 per cent of people in the West Midlands admitted that their lives had become more stressful over the past year, 12 per cent above the national average.

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Within the South West, 47 per cent of people suggested that their lives had become more stressful. Changing jobs was listed as the most common factor for increasing stress levels within the South West.

1034 per cent of people within the South West also experienced one of the three main stressors over the past 12 months, helping to increase stress elves for the region.

Within London, 32 per cent of people experienced one of the three main stressors over the past year, while in Wales, this accounted for 31 per cent of people.

However, within Wales, 71 per cent of people admitted that the past 12 months had proved stressful.

the East recorded the lowest stress levels, at 16 per cent, while the West Midlands recorded the highest.

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The North East, and the North West recorded similar figures with 30, and 28 per cent respectively indicating increased stress levels from the previous year.

Research into stress related to age, revealed that 25 per cent of over 65s encountered a specific stressful event last year.

This is compared to 74 per cent of those within the 16 to 24 age range.

Abbey indications also suggested that both men and women had experienced increased levels of stress over the previous 12 months, with 45 per cent of women and an equal percentage of men indicating increased stress levels from 12 months ago.

25 per cent found the past 12 months less stressful than previous years.

Commenting on the findings, Nici Audhlam-Gardnier, head of mortgages at Abbey, said: “It looks like Britons have had to cope with a lot over the past 12 months.”

She added: “Let’s hope that the next 12 bring us a bit more relief and that our national stress levels begin to fall.”

The research was conducted by ICM in April 2007 and took into account the findings from over 1000 individuals throughout Britain.

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