PRESS RELEASE

SAMARITANS SURVEY: LONDONERS MORE WORRIED ABOUT MONEY, LESS ABOUT POLITICS

Friday 14 December 2012

- UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00.01 hours Thursday 20 DECEMBER –

People in London are noticeably more concerned about money and debt than a year ago, according to Samaritans’ annual worries survey 2012.

An exclusive YouGov poll for Samaritans shows that 50 per cent of Londoners put worries about money and debt in their top five, five per cent up on last year, and one per cent higher than the national average of 49 per cent. Worries about job security, however, have fallen from 28 per cent in 2011 to 22 per cent today.

Meanwhile there has been a significant reduction in concerns about domestic politics and the current government. Only 17 per cent of respondents are most worried about politics, a 10 per cent fall from last year’s figure of 27 per cent. There was also a fall in those most worried about international affairs, down from 23 per cent in December 2011 to 18 per cent today.

The poll of more than 2,000 people was conducted on Wednesday 28 November, the day before the Leveson report was published and the vote on Palestine was taken at the United Nations – regarded by the media as two of the biggest stories of the year.

However, years of worry over money and debt seems to have taken a toll on the concerns of Londoners about problems with families, friends and relationships. Worries in this area have risen from 24 per cent in 2011 to 39 per cent today. There has also been a rise in expressed concerns over physical health, up from 31 per cent a year ago to 35 per cent now.

A new question, asking how people deal with their worries, found that 39 per cent of those who had worries in 2012 would choose to talk about their problems and 26 per cent preferred just to “grin and bear it”. A further 27 per cent would have a social drink, while 12 per cent would rely on prescription drugs.

Catherine Johnstone, Samaritans Chief Executive said:

“It seems that Londoners’ family worries are becoming more acute and they’re becoming less interested in politics. As the nation’s listening ear, we’d like to remind people struggling to cope, that Samaritans will continue to be there for anybody who needs someone to listen to them.”

-ENDS-

For further information about the survey or to set up interviews please contact Guy Roberts in Samaritans’ press office, on 020 8394 8348 or email

For a further breakdown of results of the Samaritans worries survey 2012, please click here

Notes to editors:

*These figures are based on a survey of calls to six Samaritans’ branches received during a week from 5th November – 11th November 2012. This survey has been done annually since 2008.

·  All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2162 adults of whom 268 were from London. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28th and 30th November 2012. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

·  A similar survey was also conducted in 2011. Total sample size was 2146 adults, of whom 277 were from London. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29th November and 1st December 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures were weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+). Similar surveys took place in 2009 and 2010.

·  Samaritans is part of Call to Action, a network of 50 organisations dedicated to preventing suicide: Call to Action

·  Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide. People contact Samaritans when they are struggling to cope and need someone to talk to. More than 20,000 Samaritans’ volunteers are available round the clock, every day of the year. The helpline provides a safe place to talk and all conversations are private.

·  To contact Samaritans call 08457 90 90 90, email , or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.