Half of Scots won't answer phone to unknown numbers

12th August 2014

*55% of Scottish respondents don't pick up to unknown or withheld numbers.

*1 in 20 avoid answering to numbers starting ‘08'.

*Just a third try and answer every call they receive.

More than half of Scottish people say they don't answer their mobile phone if the number that appears on their screen is either unknown to them or withheld.

New research* conducted for Scottish debt advice and solutions provider [url=http://www.dacscotland.co.uk/]Debt Advisory Centre Scotland (DACS)[/url] reveals that 55% of Scottish respondents choose not to pick up the phone if they don't know the caller. Only a third (37%) said they always try to answer their phone, providing they are able to do so, no matter who is ringing them.

Of those who prefer not to answer calls from numbers they do not know, more than a quarter (28%) avoided withheld numbers, and a similar number (27%) preferred not to answer if they did not recognise the number. Meanwhile, more than one in 20 Scottish respondents (5.4%) revealed they did not pick up if the phone number began with ‘08'.

Across the UK as a whole, nearly half (49%) of all respondents avoided phone calls from numbers they did not know. People aged over-55 were the age group most likely to pick up the phone regardless of whether they could see or recognise the number. This might reflect the rising popularity of smartphones. While home phones connected to a landline do not usually display the number of the person calling - meaning the only way to know who is on the other end is to pick up - mobiles display the caller's name if it is stored in the phone. This means the numbers that are unknown stand out.

Spokesman for DACS Ian Williams says: "It’s not unusual for people to be hesitant about answering the phone when they don’t know who is calling.

"Our clients often tell us that when they began to struggle with debt and miss payments, the number of calls they received from numbers they weren’t familiar with rose, as lenders tried to get in touch with them. As a result, they sometimes stopped answering the phone altogether.

"Avoiding calls and letters from lenders can cause the problem to escalate though. If people have started to receive more calls from their creditors because they are struggling to meet the demands for payment, it might be time for them to seek professional advice and help with their debts."