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Brits more likely to lie about personal life than politics
People are more honest about their political views than they are their personal life, a new survey suggests – with older people most likely to lie.
Just 55 per cent of adults over the age of 65 said they would answer questions about their personal life honestly – way below the national average of 67 per cent.
This is the one topic that older people are the most dishonest with – that honour falls to the 16-24 year old demographic in every other category. When it comes to their personal life though, 62 per cent will tell the truth.
On average when it comes to politics, a surprising 91 per cent of people said they would be honest about their opinions – the same number as would be honest about their buying habits.
People are slightly less honest about their personal financial situation, with 82 per cent saying they would tell the truth.
The survey, by market research firm ORB International, also claims to have identified the region with the greatest number of liars.
The West Midlands has emerged as the part of the UK where people are least likely to be honest with three-quarters of people saying they would tell the truth across a number of topics.
ORB International’s Managing Director Johnny Heald said:
The British reserve seems to be alive and kicking when it comes to talking about their personal lives – clearly the rise of social media and sharing information via Twitter and Facebook has increased people’s ability to share information but when it comes to being completely open they still like to hold something back.
The survey was conducted August 27-28 and canvassed 2,006 adults throughout the UK.