NS&I’s Savings Survey has shown that the average amount of savings for a British adult has remained unchanged over the last five years.

The Quarterly Savings Survey 2009 by National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has shown that the average amount of savings for a British adult has remained unchanged over the last five years at £83.87, despite the recession.

Five years ago, the average amount saved was £70.23 from a monthly take-home figure of £1,166. However, this survey of 50,000 people showed that the individual savings ratio has remained constant at around 6%, with around 47% of people regularly saving every month from an average salary of £1,384.70.

This year, the main reason (reported by 54%) for saving was the need to “set money aside in case of emergency”, with people currently aspiring to save £196.91 each month. Around 26% stated that they were saving “for something specific”.

An NS&I Savings Strategist said: “It’s a good idea not to put all your eggs in one basket. Making sure you have money in a readily accessible rainy-day fund as well as some money in a hard working, long-term savings account is important and will provide a valuable safety cushion in the event of any unexpected emergencies.”

The survey revealed that men consistently save more money than women. This could appear to be because men, on average, are paid more than women, however statistics show that the average man saves 6.04% of his monthly disposable income, and women only 5.3%.

The highest savers for their age group are the 16-24 year olds, who this year have saved on average more than 10% of their income each month.

Dr Robin Keyte, Certified Financial Planner, Towers of Taunton, commented on the proportion of income that people should be saving: “It really does depend on individual circumstances and goals. For a cash emergency fund it is 3-6 months earnings, and for goal-focused savings that aim to achieve an objective five years or more in the future, it may be worth looking at making regular monthly investments into an investment product, which has the potential to provide higher returns although the risk is greater and your money can go down as well as up.”