Meaningful change through our research and influence

Too close to home explores clients’ experience with coerced debt, uncovering the long-term financial harm victim-survivors experience, including unaffordable repayments and damaged credit histories.

StepChange estimates that around 1.6 million UK adults and one in eight of its clients have experienced coerced debt, yet awareness remains low and support is inconsistent.

Key findings:

• Coerced debt leaves people repaying debts they did not choose, often for years, with significant financial and emotional impacts.
• 62% of victim-survivors report negative impacts, such as going without essentials to keep up with debt repayments.
• Victim-survivors are more likely to report severe indicators of financial difficulty than others experiencing problem debt, and debts are rarely written off due to barriers around joint debts and credit reporting.
• Public understanding is limited with 68% of people reporting to have never heard the term “coerced debt”.

Read the full report.

Our report in partnership with the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) based at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) explores household over-indebtedness and debt advice reach within London. It investigates their relationship and interrelationship with area deprivation and ethnicity. Using StepChange client data and the UK Household Longitudinal Survey, the research shows that residents in the most deprived areas and people from ethnic minority backgrounds face significantly higher rates of over‑indebtedness, driven by limited financial resilience and socioeconomic pressures.

Key findings:

• Over-indebtedness is up to 19% in the most deprived boroughs vs only 6% in the least deprived.
• 28% of Black African, 24% of Black Caribbean, and 22% of Pakistani/Bangladeshi Londoners experience over‑indebtedness, compared with 8% of White British groups, showing disproportionate risk.
• Financial shocks hit ethnic minority and low-income groups more frequently and more severely due to lower financial buffers and income instability.

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This report explores the lack of accessible financial safety nets in the UK and lays out the need for credit alternatives and affordable credit. It shows that many people – especially those of low incomes or facing financial shocks – are unable to manage irregular or unexpected expenses without resorting to harmful borrowing.

Key findings:

• 4 in 10 UK adults cannot cover an unexpected cost of £1,000 without borrowing, highlighting widespread financial vulnerability.
• Among this group:
• 37% cannot afford any additional repayments after essentials
• 28% can repay less than £50 per month
• There is a need for greater access to grant-based support and low-cost credit, reducing reliance on high-cost borrowing when emergencies arise

Read the full report.

The Personal Finance Research Centre at the University of Bristol, in partnership with StepChange and the energy regulator Ofgem put forward an evidence-based plan for improving debt advice referral pathways between energy suppliers and debt advice providers.

Key findings:

• Over two-in-five (43%) StepChange clients with energy debt in our survey said their supplier suggested they seek help with their finances or gave them information about independent debt advice. 
• Two-in-five (40%) of those referred to StepChange by their supplier hadn’t previously heard of StepChange. This rises to 44% among those in financial difficulty for the first time.

Since contacting StepChange, three-in-five (60%) of our survey respondents had made at least some progress sorting out their energy debt. The non-financial benefits of debt advice included reduced stress and more financial confidence.

Read the full report.

This research, supported by Qa Research and Equifax, reveals the significant and often hidden challenges neurodivergent people face when managing debt. Conditions such as ADHD and autism make every day financial tasks harder, contributing to anxiety, avoidance of creditors, and difficulties accessing appropriate support.

Key findings:

• 97% of respondents said neurodivergence makes debt management harder
• Only 32% disclosed their neurodivergence when seeking debt advice, and many felt stigma or feared it wouldn’t make a difference.
• Participants reported common challenges such as impulsive spending, difficulty tracking income/outgoings, missed payments, and struggling with creditor communications.

Read the full report.

Alongside campaign and research activity, we submitted 19 consultation responses across government departments, select committees, and regulators. These ensured client experience and our insights influenced policy on:

• Debt recovery and enforcement
• Consumer credit and affordability
• Welfare and household finances
• Essential services and regulation

Read more about our consultation responses.