Study shows drinkers fib about amount they drink

A study by Norwich Union, the UK’s leading life and critical illness insurance provider, has found that nearly a quarter of people lie about their alcohol intake. Although they might get away with it when telling such fibs to family and friends, Norwich Union warns that not disclosing the truth when taking out a policy can have dire consequences if they need to make a claim.

Norwich Union invited 5,000 existing policyholders to review their initial application for the study and found that one in 14 people provided false information, which could make them null and void, including not declaring how much they drank.

A spokesperson for Norwich Union told ThirtyFifty, ‘Due to the nature of different strengths of alcohol and different sizes of measures, sometimes people are unsure of how many units of alcohol they drink, but it’s worth taking the trouble to work it out. If full and accurate information isn't provided, then it can mean customers are paying for a policy which won't pay out in the event of a claim.’ However, they added that, ‘We believe it's only a small percentage of people who deliberately lie on insurance documents but in some instances information is just omitted by accident or not enough detail is given.’

The company recommends that anyone who thinks they may not have given all the information they should or would just like reassurance should contact their insurer for clarification.