Desire for 'perfect insurance self' leads men and women to non disclose

A recent research report by AXA shows that one in 14 of us who have taken out insurance has knowingly misled our insurers when completing application forms.

In a desire to present their 'perfect self' to insurers and keep their policy premiums low, more than one in 10 insured women have stretched the truth about their weight (11%), while over one in 20 have hidden any previous or current feelings of depression.

In total, 7% of Brits who have purchased insurance have misled their insurers about their lifestyle habits and previous medical conditions, despite the fact that a number of these conditions will not necessarily affect their premium. Effectively, this means that 1.5 million people in Britain potentially face having their claim declined should they need to make one.

• The most common insurance inaccuracy is about alcohol intake - particularly for men, who are 25% more likely to understate their consumption
• Almost one in 10 of us don't disclose our smoking habits
• Women (more than one in 10) are twice as likely not to disclose their real weight than men
• The younger generation are the most likely to be inaccurate, with more than one in nine 18-34 year olds admitting to this, while the over 55s are the most accurate

04 September 2008 © Moneyextra.com

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