Brits are willing to hide receipts from their partners but are happy to loan money to a friend. Christina Jordan reports on our attitudes to finance   
Romance is alive and well, with men still expecting to pay for a first date, according to new research on money manners from Halifax. But on subsequent dates equality rules, with diners expecting to split the bill equally.

Nearly 40% of people think men should pay for the first date, a further 40% think it should be shared and only 1% said women should pay. Ian Corfield, head of Halifax unsecured personal loans, said: “It’s nice to see chivalry is alive and well. Calculating the bill at the end of a meal can often be an uncomfortable affair. Our research shows that for most it’s simply a case of splitting it into equal parts.”

Secretive

The research also highlighted that hiding receipts from your other half is commonplace with one in four people (23%) admitting to hiding a receipt from a partner or spouse.

Women were more secretive than men when it came to hiding receipts, with 30% more women admitting to having hidden a receipt after buying something for themselves, while just over 20% of men admitted to having done so.

But we are generous when it comes to helping out friends with three-quarters saying we would lend money to a friend if they asked. And the younger generation proved even more willing to do this with 87% of 25-34 year-olds saying they would.

A further finding shows that finance is still a social taboo with over half of all respondents surveyed said they thought it was a social taboo to talk about personal finances at a formal dinner party.

Age was an important factor when it came to talking about personal finances. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of 45-54 year-olds said it was a social taboo to discuss personal finances at a dinner party, whereas only four in ten (42%) of 18-24 year-olds thought it was.

Christopher Jones, a banker from London, says: “I think its terribly bad form to talk about money at the dinner table. My finances are my own business and I don’t want them discussed in public.”