Almost three-quarters (73%) of social housing tenants wouldn’t be able to cope with an unexpected expense, such as a higher-than-expected household bill, research has revealed.

The Resident Voice Index™ (RVI), a project that gathers the views of social housing residents from across the UK, released its latest report, Cost of Living: Crunch Time, which indicated most respondents are experiencing a lower quality of life.

Based on a survey of 5,700 respondents, the report reveals that almost one-quarter (24%) of respondents were already in energy bill arrears before the October price cap increases, while 80% are in debt and a third (33%) are unable to manage their debt. Addition, 70% said they’re worse off financially than they were six months ago and almost 78% feel worried all or most of the time about meeting monthly living expenses, up from 68% six months ago.

“These results lay bare what we probably all knew to be a worsening situation,” said Doug Sarney, Project Lead for Resident Voice Index™ and Solutions Principal, MRI Software. “However, the extent of the decline from just six months ago when we ran our first study on the cost-of-living crisis is shocking. More than ever, intervention is required to avoid catastrophic consequences for UK social housing residents – it really is crunch time.”

Developed by MRI Software, the short RVI surveys are designed to provide policymakers and housing providers with insights from residents about circumstances impacting their lives. The project’s goal is to shine a light on the resident perspective and ensure that their voice is heard to help improve the experiences of social housing residents.

Other key survey results include:

• Consistent with previous findings from the RVI™, those under age 35 are having the hardest time, with 87% reporting a high level of worry
• Approximately nine in 10 (87%) of under-35s reported being in debt, compared with 40% of pensionable age respondents
• Families are struggling more than other groups – 85% of those with dependants were worried all or most of the time compared to 69% of those without dependants.

Gavin Smart, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “This latest report from the Resident Voice Index comes at a critical time for the social housing sector. The cost-of-living crisis is affecting everyone but those on the lowest incomes, many of whom live in social housing, are impacted the most.”

The free-text answers in the survey demonstrated hopelessness amongst many respondents, who “do not know what to give up next to survive”. Around 2% of respondents were approaching extreme effects on their mental health, signalling a potential crisis in the wellbeing of those living in social housing.

The RVI data showed no clear variation in experiences among social housing residents from different areas of the UK, indicating that the burden of associated problems with the cost of living, such as debt and worry, are hitting people in the same way across the country.

Download the full report here.