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New research1 out today reveals that Brits are showing a worrying contempt for the law, with half of Brits (50 per cent) polled committing offences such as insurance fraud and general acts of dishonesty at least once a fortnight.

According to the study by esure home insurance, 13 per cent of Brits have admitted to swindling their work expenses for personal financial gain. Pushing the law aside, over a quarter (28 per cent) of UK adults have acted dishonestly by striking a 'cash in hand' deal with a builder or tradesman and almost a fifth (19 per cent) have scratched or bumped into another vehicle and not owned up.

The most common act of dishonesty by Brits is not owning up to being undercharged (60 per cent), followed by the offence of downloading film or music illegally (30 per cent). Over one in five people (21 per cent admitted) have even eaten food in a supermarket or store without paying for it.

Testament to the technology-driven society which we live in, over 79 per cent of Brits have committed digital misdemeanors. A third (33 per cent) of those polled admitted to downloading music or film at least once a year, with four per cent doing so once a week and one per cent confessing to doing so on a daily basis. In fact, 29 per cent of UK adults have questionable morals, admitting to secretly reading a friend or partner’s text messages, while 17 per cent have logged on to a friend or partner’s email or Facebook without their permission.

Dr Cecilia D'Felice, Chartered Clinical Psychologist, said: "Recent high profile scandals particularly in the political world have had a huge impact on the way we behave. If 'officials' are seen to go above and beyond the law, some of us are bound to follow suit, engaging in so called ‘victimless’ crimes.

Biting the hand that feeds us is a well known paradox, yet deep down we all know that someone, somewhere has to pay. This often befalls the hard pressed tax payer who naturally reacts with anger but has nowhere to vent it - hence a rise of the ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ mentality."

The top ten acts of dishonesty by UK adults:
  %
1 Not owning up to being undercharged 60
2 Downloading music or films illegally 30
3 Paying cash for building work or home repairs
to help the builder/tradesman avoid paying tax		 28
4 Eating food in a supermarket/store without
paying for it		 21
5 Scratching/bumping into someone else’s car and
not telling them		 19
=6 Claiming more than you should on work expenses 13
=6 Wearing an item of clothing and then returning it
to a store for a refund or exchange		 13
8 Causing minor damage to someone else’s property
and not owning up		 10
9 Avoiding paying your TV licence 8
10 Exaggerating  an insurance claim to get a bigger
payout		 7

According to the study, more than a third of Brits (38 per cent) believe these acts are the norm and 42 per cent think that obeying the rules and being honest all the time would put them at a disadvantage. Furthermore, more than one in ten (14 per cent) Brits think it is acceptable to do something which may be perceived to be morally wrong, while a further 11 per cent claim that the recession has led them to think differently about such misconduct.

Nikki Sellers, Head of home insurance at esure, said: "Whilst 72 per cent of Brits believe that honesty is the best policy, it’s clear that fraudulent crimes and dishonest behaviour are more commonplace than we may think.

However insurance is one area where people cannot afford to skimp on the truth - it is there to protect everyone against losses they can't afford to pay for themselves, so potentially invalidating your cover with a white lie to save on your premium or exaggerating a claim to get a higher pay-out can be the worst false economy of all."

Gender divide
Females are most likely to read their partner or friend’s text messages - the average woman admitted to doing so on average seven times per year compared to just four times by men polled. However, while males confessed to downloading films or music illegally eight times per year on average, females said they do so just four times a year.

According to the study, British men were more likely to be faced by a moral dilemma than females - the latter confessed to doing so 23 times per year on average compared to 36 times by the average male.

Regional differences
Over a third (37 per cent) of those polled in the South West confessed to secretly reading their partner or friend’s text messages, while in London 37 per cent admitted to downloading music or films illegally. The capital is also home to the greediest shoppers - a third (33 per cent) of Londoners polled have eaten food in a supermarket before paying for it.

In the North East a huge 79 per cent of those questioned said that they had not owned up when undercharged for something - almost a fifth more than the national average for this misdemeanor.

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esure's press contacts:

For further information please contact the esure press office at Mischief PR on 020 7100 9999 or email esure@mischiefpr.com
An ISDN line is available for radio interviews

Notes to Editors:

  1. esure used the independent online research company FlyResearch who surveyed adults from across the country aged 18 and over, between 11th and 15th February 2010. Fly Research is an online market research company. Its researchers are members of the MRS and Esomar, and abide by their guidelines. Further information at www.flyresearch.com 

About Dr Cecilia d' Felice:

Dr Cecilia d'Felice is a chartered clinical psychologist, specialising in relationships, dating and all aspects of adult emotional wellbeing. Cecilia has won numerous awards and she has become a regular psychological expert on national TV and Radio. Most recently she presented the 8 part series ‘Best Friend Rehab'. She has also appeared on ITN News and contributed to Channel 5's ‘Sex - How To Do Everything', Channel 4's ‘Sex Education' and Radio 2's Alex Hall Show. As well as this she is a regular contributor to Channel 5's ‘The Wright Stuff', has appeared on Channel 4's ‘The Friday Night Project' and Chris Evans' Drive Time show on BBC Radio 2. Cecilia uniquely had her own slot on Channel 4's successful psychology show, ‘Big Brother on the Couch', with Davina McCall. In addition to this, she has also appeared on BBC World, BBC World Service and Radio 4's ‘Woman's Hour'.