Research from uswitch found the picture is much worse for some age groups than for others. Almost six in ten (57 per cent) of 18 to 34 year olds have been rejected for credit, or only offered products at higher rates.
Of these young people, 65 per cent have been turned down for credit multiple times. A quarter of 18 to 34 year olds have been turned down five times or more, amounting to more than one million people.
In addition to racking up damage on their credit report, 40 per cent of young people who have been refused credit have turned to pay day lenders or pawn shops to access funds.
David Mann, head of money at uswitch, said young people are stuck in a “cycle of credit rejections” as a result of “blindly applying for credit again and again”.
The comparison website has launched the It’s My Report campaign, which has the backing of 15,000 consumers. It calls for annual free access to full credit reports and credit scores for everyone, as well as changes to the law to make it mandatory for credit providers to tell people why they’ve been refused credit.
Currently, credit reference agencies are required to provide a statutory report on request but can charge £2 for each report. The statutory report does not include a person’s credit score. There are three main credit reference agencies: Experian, Equifax and Callcredit. Read more
