-
New MRP poll reveals that in some parts of the UK
nearly 1 in 4 people are going hungry
-
More than half of Britons cutting back on heating, hot
water and electricity
-
Stark findings published as government scales back
energy support and decides on whether to uprate benefits in
line with inflation
-
Government must focus on getting pay rising, says
TUC
-
7 in 10 support £15 minimum wage
1 in 7 people in the UK are skipping meals or going without food,
a new TUC mega poll has revealed today (Tuesday).
The MRP poll of 10,000 people, reveals how the cost of living
emergency is hitting family budgets in every single parliamentary
constituency – and that more government action is needed to raise
wages and cut bills.
Skipping meals
The poll – carried out for the TUC by Opinium – shows that 1 in 7
(14%) people across the UK are having to skip meals or go without
food to make ends meet.
However, in nearly 50 (47) parliamentary constituencies this
number rises to 1 in 5 (20%) or above.
Birmingham Ladywood has the highest (29%) number of constituents
having to skip meals or miss out on food, followed by Dundee West
(27%), Glasgow (24%) and Rhondda (24%).
In the Cities of London and Westminster – home to Parliament and
Downing Street – well over a fifth (23%) of local people are
missing out on meals and food.
The proportion of people across the UK skipping meals is the same
for people in work and people out of work (14%).
Cutting back on food spending
The mega survey also reveals that over two-fifths (44%) of
Britons are having to cut back on food spending.
This proportion varies again in different parts of the country.
In Bootle, Birmingham Ladywood and Liverpool Walton, 6 in 10
constituents are cutting back on food spending.
However, in wealthier constituencies like Richmond Park and
Chelsea and Fulham this still affects 3 in 10 local residents.
Rising bills
The poll - published in the same week the government reduced
long-term support for energy bills - shows households across
Britain are still deeply worried about rising bills.
Over half (55%) of the population are cutting back on heating,
hot water or electricity.
And in some parts of the country this number is higher:
- In Health Secretary’s Therese Coffey’s Suffolk Coastal seat 6
in 10 (59%) of constituents are using less heating, hot water and
electricity.
- In Bury North – the most marginal parliamentary constituency
– three-fifths (59%) of local people are cutting down on hot
water, heating and electricity.
1 in 12 (8%) of those polled report missing payment of a
household bill.
However, this number skyrockets to 1 in 3 for constituents living
in the Cities of London and Westminster (33%), and to 1 in 5 in
Birmingham Ladywood, Barking and Hendon
Wages and benefits
The TUC says the findings were a “stark reminder” of the cost
living pressures facing households throughout the UK.
The union body says the government must:
- Stick to plans to uprate universal credit, benefits and
pensions in line with inflation, and bring forward this uprating
to before April. This must be the first step on a route to higher
levels of universal credit, benefits and pensions.
- Impose a much higher windfall tax on oil and gas companies
- Get pay rising across the economy by backing trade unions and
allowing unions to negotiate pay rises across whole sectors
- Give key workers in the public sector cost-of-living proofed
pay rises
- Raise the minimum wage to £15 an hour as soon as possible
Today’s poll reveals that nearly 7 in 10 Britons back raising the
minimum wage to £15 an hour.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“No one should have to worry about putting food on the table or
heating their homes.
“But millions of families are struggling to cover even the
basics, and now face huge uncertainty over their energy bills
after the Chancellor said support may end in April.
“This polling lays bare Britain’s cost of living emergency.
“Food and energy bills are soaring, but real wages are
plummeting.
“Unless we get pay rising across the economy – and ensure
benefits rise in line with inflation - we risk heading towards
Victorian levels of poverty.
“The Conservatives should be working with unions to help
households get through this crisis. But they want to make it
harder for working people to win better pay and conditions.”
On the need to boost wages, Frances added:
“Instead of giving bungs to bankers, ministers need to get money
into people’s pockets.
“That’s the best way to boost spending in local economies and to
deliver lasting growth.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
-MRP data tables can be found here: https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/MRP_Tables.xlsx
-Polling: Opinium conducted a poll of 10,495 GB
adults from 26-30 September 2022 designed to be representative of
the national population according to demographics and past voting
behaviour. The data from the poll were analysed using a
multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP) approach to
derive constituency-level estimates for the results of key
questions including voting intention
