A new Office for National Statistics survey has found that around 24 million people in Great Britain were reducing energy use in their home between March and June 2022, and around 16 million cut back on food and essentials.

Around 9 in 10 (89%) adults in Great Britain continue to report that their cost of living has increased, equal to around 46 million people. This is an increase from around 6 in 10 (62%, 32 million adults) in November 2021.

The most common reasons reported by these adults for their increased cost of living were:

  • an increase in the price of their food shop (94%)
  • an increase in gas or electricity bills (82%)
  • an increase in the price of fuel (77%)

For those who had seen their cost of living go up, the most common lifestyle changes they had made as a result were:

  • spending less on non-essentials (57%, around 26 million people)
  • using less gas and electricity in their home (51%, around 24 million people)
  • cutting back on non-essential journeys in their vehicle (42%, around 19 million people)

More than a third of those whose cost of living had gone up cut back spending on food and essentials (35%, around 16 million people). Almost a quarter (23%, around 11 million people) used savings to cover costs, and 13% (around 6 million people) said they were using more credit than usual.