Almost four in ten British adults say that they are finding it harder to meet their household budget than 12 months ago, according to new figures.
In a survey of 2,437 British adults conducted between 14 and 20 November 2017, Kantar Public UK found that 37% of people reported increased difficulties in meeting their household budgetary requirements, an increase of ten percent since February. Women (43%) and the under 25s (40%) were the most likely to report an increase in financial struggles, and nearly a quarter of people (24%) thought their job was less safe than this time last year.
Beyond concerns about their personal circumstances, the British public have also become increasingly pessimistic about the future of Britain’s economy overall. Over a third (35%) of people said they believed the British economy would be in a worse position in 12 months time than it is now, up from 28% in February.
In a worrying sign for the Theresa May, who have started to get the blame for Brexit’s impact on the economy, over a third (36%) of the public said they thought the government’s management of the economy was poor or very poor over the last year. Nearly half of the population (49%) also thought that the government’s handling of immigration was poor or very poor over the same time period.
Whilst Brexit overshadows every decision in Westminster, the British public are more concerned with investment in healthcare and reducing wealth inequality. Nearly twice as many people (21%) believed that the government’s first priority should be investing in the NHS rather than negotiations with the EU (11%).
Discussing the results of the survey, CEO at Kantar Public UK, Grant Fitzner, commented:
“With higher inflation and declining real wages since the EU referendum, it’s no wonder British households are feeling the squeeze and are gloomy about the country’s economic prospects.”
For the study, Kantar conducted 2,437 online interviews with adults living in Great Britain between 14 and 20 November 2017.
