Survey: Four in ten Czechs not up front with their partner about earnings and savings

A recent poll conducted by Equa Bank asked respondents whether they had a good overview of their partners’ finances and apparently for good reason: four in 10 Czechs, according to the poll, are not completely honest about how much they make or have saved. The reasons may be various: from maintaining a feeling of financial independence to maintaining the freedom to surprise their partner or spouse with an unexpected gift from time to time. There are also more underhanded reasons such as purposely hiding away funds in the case of a future breakup or divorce.

Photo: David Playford / freeimages

Whether married or in a common-law relationship, a substantial number of Czechs prefer to keep their finances separate from their partner, a new poll by Equa Bank suggests. For some it is a matter of maintaining a certain sense of privacy and independence – finances being an item that partners don’t want to be an issue or have to negotiate or argue about. In the survey, four in ten queried to keeping secrets when it came to the monthly pay-check but the reasons given were varied.

The number one reason stated? To be able to pleasantly surprise one’s partner (by being better off than they knew) and being able to buy them an unexpected gift. Twenty-three percent of those who took part in the poll listed the freedom to surprise as their top answer.

Eight percent weren’t completely up front about their earnings so as not to have to divulge to their partner how much they were really spending.

And five percent admitted they were putting aside funds for dark days, namely if their relationship went south. Additionally, four percent of respondents said they were keeping their earnings secret as they did not know their partners well enough yet.

The results were confirmed for Czech Radio by Equa Bank spokeswoman Markéta Dvořáková. One curious finding? That while many seem to be fairly sneaky about their earnings and savings, 70 percent of those who took part in the poll (which was conducted in two parts, with two groups of around 400 respondents) said that honesty about finances was important in long-term relationships. The reality is perhaps a little different.

One financial advisor interviewed by Czech Radio was sceptical even about the honesty of the Czechs’ top answer suggesting there was probably a discrepancy between the official answer and reality. By appearances, a fair number of Czechs, for whatever reason, aren’t completely on the level with their better half when it comes money. It may not be Game of Thrones-level secrecy but it isn’t exactly what you would call one hundred percent transparent, either.