Our research found many of those questioned said that they also felt guilty about putting off activities. More than one in three people (36%) regret putting off exercising, followed by saving money (29%) and eating healthily (29%).
Activity |
Feel guilty about putting off |
Exercising |
36% |
Saving money |
29% |
Eating healthily |
29% |
Visiting family |
28% |
Starting a diet |
25% |
Getting up early |
22% |
Visiting friends out of town |
19% |
Reading |
13% |
Recycling |
12% |
Taking up a new hobby |
12% |
Volunteering for charity |
11% |
Gemma Pauley, Head of Nationwide’s Payday Saveday campaign, said:
“Our research shows we are a nation of procrastinators who can often be caught out leaving things to the last minute. Many feel guilty about putting things off, especially saving money. With Payday Saveday, we want to give people who feel they can’t save anything the confidence that, with the right approach, they might be able to save a little something every month."
“You shouldn’t leave it until the end of the month. Do it at the start (as soon as you’ve been paid) even if it’s a small amount. As a building society, helping people to save is a core part of Nationwide’s purpose. And it’s not a commercial campaign for us either. We don’t mind who you save with as long as you save.”
1Research carried out by Censuswide. 2,000 people polled between 29th and 31st July 2019. Average cost per year figure calculated by asking people to identify how much they have suffered financially by leaving activities until the last minute.
2Cost of procrastination over a lifetime based on a life expectancy of 81 years, presuming a person has 65 years of financial independence (ages 16 to 81). 65 x £449 = £29,185
3Money and Pensions Service: https://www.moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Listening-Document.pdf page 11.