Press Release: Over Half of Britons Admit To Withholding Information on Health-Related Declarations

A recent UK study has revealed that more than half of Britons admit to withholding information about their health on important documents or forms. What’s more, the most commonly lied about issues were found to be the amount of alcohol consumed, pre-existing conditions (e.g. diabetes) and the number of cigarettes smoked.

Even though lying on certain declaration forms can be considered fraud, more than half of Britons admit to having done so at least once; with doctor/dentist forms being the most frequently fibbed on, followed by life insurance and travel insurance documents.

The team at income protection provider www.Holloway.co.uk conducted the research in a bid to find out more about Britons’ financial habits. A total of 2,320 adults, aged 18 and over from the UK, were quizzed as part of the study.

Initially, participants were asked, “Have you ever withheld information or bent the truth about your health when filling in an important document?” to which more than half (52%) revealed that they had done so at least once.

When these respondents were asked what information they had withheld or bent the truth about, ‘the amount of alcohol I consume’ topped the list (67%) followed by ‘a pre-existing condition’ (41%) and ‘the number of cigarettes I smoke’ (30%).

Relevant respondents were questioned about what forms they had fibbed on, regarding their health or medical history. When able to select all that applied, the following five emerged as the most common forms lied on:

1. Doctors/dentist forms – 89%

2. Life insurance documents – 51%

3. Travel insurance – 38%

4. Car insurance forms – 35%

5. Blood donation forms– 19%

When asked why they had lied on these forms, ‘embarrassment’ topped the list (61%) followed by ‘wanting to save money’ (19%) and ‘not wanting it to get in the way proceeding’ (15%).

Finally, these respondents were asked if these lies had ever backfired, with 59% stating that they had. When asked how, the majority (71%) said they were caught out and were unable to receive the service they needed/proceed with an appointment.

Georgia d’Esterre, Head of Marketing at www.Holloway.co.uk, said:

"Lying on forms that are related to your health is not okay. If something went wrong and your pre-existing condition caused you harm, you could find yourself unable to receive the full service you expect and have paid for and you may actually end up paying even more than initially planned. It can also prevent people from doing their job properly which will be detrimental to you in the long run.”