A YouGov survey of 4,014 British adults for housing charity Shelter has revealed that more than one in five people have spent less on gas and electricity to help pay their rent or mortgage in the last 12 months, and just over one in three have spent less on food.
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- 34% have spent less on food to help pay their rent or mortgage in the last 12 months
- 22% of Britons have spent less on gas and electricity
From our results, Shelter estimates that 10 million people have had to reduce the amount they have spent on fuel for the home, an increase of 60% since 2008, and also estimate that 16 million people have reduced the amount they spend on food in order to meet their housing costs, up 44% since 2008.*
‘Squeeze on incomes’
Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of Shelter, said: ‘These staggering findings show just how many millions of people are cutting back on essentials as the continued squeeze on incomes starts to really bite.
‘It demonstrates the tough choices families now have to make, between heating their home, putting a decent meal on the table or paying for the roof over their head.’
The housing and homelessness charity is calling on anyone who is struggling with their housing costs to seeking advice early, so that they do not put their home at risk. With specialist advice services around the country, a free helpline and online advice available, the charity also has a budget calculator and provides tips on how to save on home fuel bills on its website.
‘Every two minutes someone in Britain is at risk of losing their home.” Robb warns. “We strongly urge anyone struggling to pay their rent or mortgage to seek advice as early as possible.’
See the survey details and full results here.
Further Information
*The estimate of the number of GB adults who reduced the amount they spend on fuel for their home in order to help pay their rent or mortgage in the last 12 months (More than 10 million) and the number who reduced the amount they spent on food in order to help pay their rent or mortgage in the last 12 months (16 million) is based on the latest estimates from the Office of National Statistics which indicate that there are 47.8 million adults in Great Britain.
The estimates of the number of adults affected in 2008 to calculate the increase between 2008 and December 2011 are based on 2008 population statistics from the Office of National Statistics which indicate there were 46.9 million adults in Great Britain.
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