One In Five Britons Now Say They Are Struggling Or Unable To Make Ends Meet

With Boris Johnson announcing new measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, one in five Britons (22%) say they are currently struggling or unable to make ends meet, according to new polling by YouGov.

This figure includes one in six Britons (17%) who say of their household financial situation “I can only just afford my costs and often struggle to make ends meet” and a further 5% who say “I cannot afford my costs, and often have to go without essentials like food and heating”. When the same question was asked this time last year, just 10% of Britons said that they were either struggling (8%) or unable (2%) to make ends meet.

The proportion of those aged 65+ who say they are struggling or unable to make ends meet falls to 13%, with half of this age group saying they are either very (6%) or relatively (42%) comfortable financially.

One in three Britons (37%) overall describe their financial situation as “I do not often have money for luxuries, but can normally comfortably cover the essentials”.

Half of Britons (50%) say their household financial situation has deteriorated in the last month, while two in five (41%) say there has been no change. Only 4% of Britons say things have improved for them in the last month. And, the outlook is equally bleak, with three in five (60%) expecting their finances to get worse over the next year. Just 21% expect to tread water, while 7% think their finances will get better.

Half of 2019 Conservative voters (48%) say their finances have become worse in the last month, and 60% expect them to deteriorate in the next 12 months.

YouGov is an international online research data and analytics technology group.