Our industry-leading debt research

Payday loans: The next generation

November 2016
In the latest of our statistics yearbook series, the Statistics Mid-Yearbook provides an update on personal debt trends for the first half of 2016.

Falling into the red: How overdrafts can lead to problem debt

October 2016
Regularly having to go into an overdraft, or over an overdraft limit, and being hit by unarranged overdraft charges can lead to and exacerbate financial difficulties for many financially vulnerable households.

Boosting lower income savings

September 2016
Our briefing discusses how HTS should be implemented and what more can be done to boost lower-income saving. It contains the results of a survey of our clients on the provisions of the HTS scheme and their ongoing savings needs.

Creditor and debt collector conduct: What's making debt problems worse?

July 2016
Unfair treatment from creditors holds back those in problem debt. Bad lending decisions, poor product design and aggressive debt collection practices can make severe debt problems more likely, more harmful and harder to deal with.

Council Tax Debt in Scotland: A growing problem

March 2016
Council Tax arrears and how these are addressed are one of the fastest growing debt problems that we've seen in the past five years. This report examines the data behind Scottish clients seeking our help with their Council Tax arrears in order to get a clearer picture of the extent of the problem and how policy solutions could make a difference.

The Credit Safety Net: Consumer credit trends and problem debt

February 2016
Our report looks at consumer credit trends in Britain, the use of credit as a safety net and how this can lead to personal debt problems. It also highlights strategies and solutions to address the use of unsustainable credit and the resulting financial difficulties.

Navigating the New Normal: Income shocks and financial difficulty

December 2015
Despite a steady economic recovery and low headline unemployment, 2.6 million people are in severe problem debt and 8.8 million people are in moderate financial difficulty. Income shocks are tipping millions of people into problem debt.

Held Back by Debt: How Britain's lack of financial resilience is tipping people into a debt trap

September 2015
People will always face ups and downs that they have to adjust to, but recent trends in the jobs market, with fewer working people in traditional permanent, full-time, steady-wage jobs, mean more people experience more frequent shocks and changes as part of everyday life.

Becoming a Nation of Savers: Keeping families out of debt by helping them prepare for a rainy day

August 2015
Having accessible savings helps families avoid problem debt, promotes financial inclusion and leads to wider social benefits regarding employment, healthcare, and children's life prospects, but families in the UK are facing a crisis when it comes to saving for a rainy day.

Council Tax Arrears: The impact of aggressive enforcement action

March 2015
Since 2010, StepChange Debt Charity has seen a 372% rise in the number of people we've helped with Council Tax arrears. Only payday loans grew faster as a client debt across this period.

An Action Plan on Problem Debt: How the UK Government can reduce the £8.3 billion social cost of problem debt

January 2015
The British economy is recovering, but many families are still waiting to see their household finances return to a genuinely steady footing. Many are living on the edge, with 21 million people in Britain struggling with their bills.

The Social Cost of Problem Debt in the UK

October 2014
Problem debt costs the UK £8.3bn through the damage it causes to family life, mental and physical health, productivity and employment prospects and costs to the welfare state, the NHS, local government and other agencies.

The Debt Trap: The impact of debt on families with children

May 2014
Despite millions of children living in families with problem debt, very little research has explored the impact it has on them. Our report, written alongside The Children's Society, lifts the lid on the devastating impact debt can have on children.

Life on the Edge: A report on the state of the nation's family finances

April 2014
From the 8.8 million people over indebted to the £1.4 trillion personal debt we British households owe, debt has become a major media debate. Our report looks at the factors that are driving people into financial difficulty, and which groups are most likely to be living on the edge.

StepChange Debt Charity Consumer Debt and Money Report Q3 2012 (pdf)

22 January 2013

Working Households' Experiences of Debt Problems (pdf)

21 November 2012