Money worries a ‘major cause’ of relationship breakdown

A new report by the Catholic charity Marriage Care has found that a quarter of people are in distressed relationships, with the biggest strain being money worries, writes Liz Dodd.

“The Way We Are Now”, the fourth report based on a YouGov survey of 5,071 adults last year, found that unmarried cohabiting people were more likely to be in a distressed relationship – meaning one with a severe level of relationship problems – than people in relationships who lived separately.

As well as financial concerns, couples reported factors like “not understanding each other” and “lack of work-life balance” caused strain. Alcohol, smoking and time spent online were also listed as reasons.

Trust, communication and commitment were listed as factors in a good relationship – while fidelity, sex life and physical attraction were ranked lowest.

More than one in 10 people (13 per cent) said they occasionally regret getting married or having a civil partnership; and two fifths (40 per cent) said they did not know where to access support.