UK credit customers worried about the future

PricewaterhouseCoopers have published the results of a survey into UK attitudes to credit and to me at least it doesn't look terribly healthy.

Twenty per cent of credit customers in the UK are worried about the future availability of credit.  Almost thirty per cent (27%) are concerned about their ability to repay debts in the future.

The PwC Credit Confidence survey also reveals that while the majority of UK consumers still feel comfortable with their current levels of debt, there is a minority of 16% who are already struggling to repay their current debts.

UK households have now borrowed £1.5 trillion, an average debt of approximately £40,000 per adult of working age; more than double the level in 2000.

Levels of unsecured borrowing in the UK far outstrip those of any established mainland European market. It appears that consumers in the rest of Europe are changing their buying behaviours to reduce their debt burden.

Looks to me like some UK consumers crave credit like there's no tomorrow. What is driving this? Do we lack the basic maths required to understand what we're taking on or are we in denial about how bad things are getting?