New survey reveals 42% of Brits borrow their partner’s items without them knowing

• The research reveals Brits to be a nation of cheeky borrowers
• 1 in 5 women (20%) admit to borrowing their partner’s razor
• The UK’s borrowing culture costs the average Brit £585 a year
• Londoners are the UK’s most reluctant sharers, with Northern Irish and Midlanders being the least.

New research from Korean razor manufacturer, Dorco, reveals the “all take and no give” side of Britain, as we loathe sharing but will happily borrow. Forty-two per cent of Brits say that they borrow items from their partner without consent and a fifth (20%) of all women surveyed say that they un-hygienically borrow their partner’s razor on the sly.

Not just things – Brits won’t share secrets either

The survey of 2,000 UK adults also revealed that not only is it items that we feel uncomfortable sharing, but feelings, secrets and private moments too.  A quarter of us (25%) feel uneasy about sharing the number of former lovers with their current partner, with Scots being particularly shifty (34%). Fewer than half of us (44%) are happy to use the loo in front of their partner, just 1 in 3 of us will clean our ears in front of our partner (37%), and less than a fifth (17%) will apply a cream to an intimate area in front of their partner.

We shouldn’t mind baring all… Our partners don’t care if we do

However, this research shows that, whilst we may feel insecure about sharing the more intimate aspects of our lives, we don’t mind it when our partners do the same in front of us – with blasé Brummies being the least prudish of anyone. Ninety per cent of Brits say they wouldn’t mind if their partner shaved their body in front of them, 74% of people (83% of East Midlanders) and say they would be indifferent to their partner passing wind loudly and 76% (84% of East Midlanders) wouldn’t care if you picked a spot in front of them.

The real cost of our borrowing habit

However, our self-serving habit to borrow but not share has its negative consequences. Just over a quarter (27%) of Brits and (43% per cent of short-fused Geordies) admit that they have argued with their partner after discovering their possessions have been used without their permission.

This is understandable when an incredible 1 in 8 men (13%) complained that someone they were in a relationship with borrowed, and then crashed their car. Whilst this is an extreme example, borrowing without consent really is hitting Brits where it hurts most: the wallet. The findings estimate that 80 per cent of us feel as if we have lost money as a result of borrowing and that our partners’ borrowing habits cost us an eye-watering average of £585 in just one year! That’s equivalent to six years of Netflix or Spotify, and a mammoth 12-and-a-half years of razor subscriptions.

Londoners are the least trusting Brits

The research shows that we are a nation divided when it comes to borrowing and sharing! Nonchalant Northern Ireland are the most liberal, with London the least. There is a greater proportion of people in Northern Ireland that will lend their partner their car (65%) than people in London who’ll let their partner borrow a t-shirt.

Perhaps Londoners’ stingy attitude is justified, given 1 in 5 of them have had their laptop lost, stolen or damaged while it was being borrowed, and 1 in 10 have had more money than they can afford taken out on their credit card!

Sue J. Kim, General Manager of Marketing at Dorco, comments: Britons’ reluctance to lend their partner their precious belongings – but willingness to take from the very same person – did surprise us! It’s not good to hear we’re borrowing our partners’ razors – not only because it’s not hygienic, but also because it triggers needless arguments.

We can’t help with unwanted car prangs, but we can help take away the pain of the unwanted sharing of a razor. Dorco is the UK’s only razor-subscription service to make both men’s and women’s blades, and what’s more, with our patented Common Docking System, if you’re going to share anything, simply share the handle, but please don’t share the blade!’

To find out more about Dorco, their shaving products and subscription offers visit www.razorsbydorco.co.uk.

Prices start at £3.90 a month for Dorco’s monthly subscription service, with the first trial month costing just £1.