More Scottish men than women have a savings account, according to a survey by Royal Bank of Scotland.
The survey, which polled 1000 people, found that 36% of men said they had a savings account – 3% more than women. It also showed that almost a quarter of women had no savings at all, compared with a fifth of men.
About 85% of the women who had no savings said they could not afford to save.
Flavia Palacios Umana, from Bank of Scotland said: “It is no surprise that so many people feel they have no spare money to put towards savings but what it is important to remember is that you do not need a huge amount to start with”.
She continued: “While reducing outgoings or consolidating debt is a priority for many, getting in to the savings habit is really important”. She added that many accounts require only £1 to open.
Some participants said they didn’t save because they didn’t have enough time and a few men said they did not know how to open a savings account.
However, almost all men and 89% of women said they had a current account. Both sexes shared a similar outlook on how much cash they planned to save in the coming year – about 16% of men and 18% of women said they hoped to save between £100 and £1000.
