More than half of working-age households are worried about how June’s European Union referendum will impact their finances, according to Scottish Friendly’s disposable income index.
The report found disposable income remained relatively flat, with a small 2.4 per cent improvement overall - from £1,000 to £1,024 - across the country over the last quarter.
This upward move was caused by low inflation and the impact of the national living wage, but despite this, many are concerned about their financial wellbeing.
Working-age households - aged between 25 and 54 - are most concerned about how leaving the EU would affect their families financially, with 51.9 per cent voicing concerns.
Calum Bennie, savings expert at Scottish Friendly, said the economic consequences of the Brexit vote are at the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to planning their finances.
“Concerns persist as monthly disposable income has remained relatively flat,” he stated. “There is still a sense of financial fragility in many parts of the UK and amongst young people in particular, who don’t feel as secure in their jobs or as able to save as older generations.
“Despite the recent blow to savers of the cut in base rates, it’s encouraging to see that over half of UK households regularly save or invest each month.”
Building a “robust buffer” is going to be important for many households and more must be done to encourage people to get into the habit of putting money away for their future, added Mr Bennie.
The research found people still feel secure in their jobs, with just over a quarter - 26.9 per cent - concerned that leaving the EU might affect their job.
But the proportion of households reporting concern about rising prices went up from 40.3 per cent before the referendum to 47.9 per cent in the weeks afterwards. The proportion of UK households spending more than their monthly income on housing costs has also risen from 5.8 per cent to 7.1 per cent.
