Forget relationship troubles or the fear of being unpopular: nearly a quarter of British youngsters say debt is their biggest worry, according to a survey published on Friday.

In the study by polling company RSGB for the debt consolidation agency Debt Management Associates, 23 per cent of 16 to 34-year-olds said it is money problems that keep them awake at night. But despite being stressed about debt problems, the under-35s are

likely to default on repayments, with 81 per cent claiming they would not hesitate to skip mortgage, loan or tax debt payment if they were strapped for cash, the DMA report said.

About 10 per cent also said they worry about having to put in extra hours at work in order to repay their mounting debts. "We are concerned that so many young people are doing little to

help themselves and in turn are losing sleep over their mounting debt problem," said DMA managing director Brendan Kiem. "Young people are increasingly targeted by financial services companies, though few are formally taught how to manage their finances effectively."

Across all age groups, 15 per cent of people said debt problems were their biggest cause of stress, second only to fears of crime, which 20 per cent cited as their biggest worry. The over 50s were most concerned about crime, with 30 per cent describing it as their biggest worry. Only 6 per cent of those questioned said they worried about being healthy and not exercising enough, while just 2 per cent said they were most concerned about being nagged by their partner. Poll company RSGB questioned 2,000 people of all ages during March. No margin of error was given, but on samples of this size it is less than 3 percentage points either way.