A NATION of romantics may not be the first thing that springs to mind when it comes to characterising the Scots – but couples north of the Border are more likely to be content with their relationship than the rest of the UK, according to a new survey.
A poll carried out by consumer association Which? found nearly nine out of 10 adults reported being satisfied with their husband, wife or partner – 8% above the UK average. Northern Ireland was the only other area which rated the same score, of 87%.
Despite the concerns over Scotland's poor track record on killer diseases, those living north of the Border were also more likely to report being content with their health.
Nearly two-thirds – 65% of Scots – said they were satisfied with this aspect of their life, compared to the UK average of 61%.
But the survey also found those living north of the Border were more likely to be worried about energy, food and fuel prices and less happy with their job and standard of living.
Health psychologist Dr Cynthia McVey, of Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "If you were going to say what is important in life, your health and relationships are the things which are important.
"But if you are worried about money and your income isn't enough for your needs, you are going to be stressed. In today's economic climate that is a common worry."
McVey said it was difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons why Scots appeared to be more content with their relationships than the UK average without carrying out detailed research.
But she offered some suggestions, saying: "Maybe we are more pragmatic with our choice of partners here, or maybe there is a cautiousness in our choice of partners here.
"It could be a case of we are happy with our lot as we have a sense of acceptance about it – maybe it is a sense of you have made your bed, you will lie on it.
"It might just be Scots are better at choosing their partners – or perhaps don't like to admit they are not that happy with them."
The Which? Consumer Insight Tracker, which is drawn from a poll of 2000 adults, will be published on a monthly basis from now on with the aim of providing a detailed picture of the thoughts and opinions of today's consumers.
The data revealed 83% of Scots are worried about energy prices, compared to a UK average of 78%. The same percentage were concerned about fuel prices – compared with the UK figure of 81%. And nearly eight of 10 – 79% – of Scots were worried about food prices, 4% more than the UK average.
Citizens Advice Scotland has just run a week-long campaign to help consumers cut gas and electricity bills, with advice provided on the website, bigenergysavingweek.org.uk.
The charity's chief executive, Margaret Lynch, said: "These figures certainly come as no surprise to us, and indeed they reflect very much the sort of trends that we have been seeing, in terms of the issues people are bringing to their Citizens Advice Bureau at the moment.
"Certainly, financial issues in general remain the main concern among our clients."
The number of Scots who said they were likely to cut back on alcohol and tobacco, clothing, home improvements, socialising and holidays over the next few months was also higher than the UK average.
A spokeswoman for Which? said: "Household budgets are stretched to breaking point. We launched the Which? Consumer Insight tracker to monitor how consumers are coping across the country. Despite recent figures showing the economy is starting to improve, our tracker found consumers are still reluctant to spend."
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