Brits prefer ‘techno treachery’ when telling white lies

More than four out of five people (81%) admit to telling white lies at least once a day, according to a new survey by Friends Provident, the founder of the UK’s first ever ethical retail fund, Stewardship.

Almost three quarters (72%) owned up to stretching the truth using one or more means of ‘techno treachery’ (18% used their mobiles, 27% sent texts and 27% sent emails).

The research, carried out by 72 Point, shows that ‘techno treachery’ is rife with close to three out of four people (74%) agreeing that technology and gadgets - such as mobiles, blackberrys and computers - make it easier to tell white lies. Just over half (51%) say that using gadgets makes them feel less guilty telling a white lie than doing it face-to-face. And, with gadgets likely to have topped the nation’s shopping lists this Christmas, it seems as though Britons will have plenty of new toys to fuel this trend.

More than two thirds (67%) of people have told a white lie at work. Being ill is the most common white lie, cited by the majority of those surveyed (43%), followed by pretending to have completed work (23%) and hiding a big mistake (18%).

However, loved ones are also likely to be on the receiving end of such treachery: more than two in five (41%) admit to telling white lies to their family or partner. There are signs though of a national conscience as just over a quarter (29%) say that the worst thing to tell a white lie to their partner about is where they’ve been or what they’ve been doing. More than one in four (27%) however, say the worst thing to tell a white lie about is flirting with someone.

When people were asked to choose one or more key topics they tell white lies about, they said:

Buying new clothes or the cost of them (37%)
How good a friend or partner looks in something (35%)
What they’ve eaten (35%)
What they weigh (32%)
How much they’ve drunk (31%)

Although dishonest at times, we appear to have the best intentions and tell white lies to spare people’s feelings. In fact, the majority of people (84%) believe a few white lies here and there won’t harm anyone.

However, when it comes to important issues such as ethical investment, Britons have a bigger conscience. Nearly three quarters (72%) want to see their money invested in socially responsible or ethical investments, up from nearly two thirds last year (62%). Moreover, this year’s findings show that ethical investment is no longer the preserve of the older generation and is becoming increasingly popular with the younger generation: three quarters (75%) of those aged 26-30 want their money invested ethically compared to just half (50%) last year.

Julia Dreblow, socially responsible investment marketing manager at Friends Provident, said: “Our research shows that while many people admit to the occasional white lie, they are not intended to cause great harm and are often said to protect those closest to them. It is heartening to see, however, that the nation has a growing conscience when it comes to investing ethically. It is particularly encouraging that this trend is being embraced by increasingly younger investors.”