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Digital energy bill on a smartphone: UK consumers increasingly concerned
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Jacob King / dpa
With gas and electricity prices soaring, almost half of people in the UK are struggling to pay their bills.
48 percent of adults find it "very or somewhat difficult" to pay for energy costs, according to the British statistics office ONS.
This is a slight increase compared to the previous survey.
In addition, consumers are increasingly concerned about their day-to-day spending.
82 percent are very or somewhat concerned about the rising cost of living.
In a survey at the end of April and beginning of May, this figure was still 74 percent.
Around a quarter also stated that they were able to save less money than usual.
18 percent of people even had to fall back on savings to be able to cover the increased cost of living.
17 percent of those surveyed stated that they had less money available for groceries.
Energy costs have also been skyrocketing in Great Britain for a long time.
Energy companies are allowed to raise electricity and gas prices significantly in October.
The new UK government has announced it will freeze the cost at £2,500 (€2,850) a year for an average household for two years.
The current maximum is 1971 pounds.
In addition, every household will receive a total discount of £400 on their energy bill over a period of six months.
increased risk of poverty
According to the Statistics Office, inflation in Great Britain was last at 9.9 percent on Wednesday.
At the same time, the British pound continues to lose value against the dollar.
On Friday, the price fell to its lowest level in almost 40 years.
According to a recent study, poverty in the country could increase significantly.
If the future government continues with its current policy, the number of people living in absolute poverty will rise by three to 14 million by the 2023/2024 financial year, the Resolution Foundation (RF) think tank announced a few weeks ago.
sol/dpa
