SCOTS are becoming more frustrated and angry about the cost of living crisis and nearly three-quarters blame the UK Government, a new report has found.
In what is thought to be the largest specific survey on rising costs among people living in Scotland, marketing firm The Union questioned 1005 adults last month, representative of age, gender, region and socio-economic group.
It found 2022 has been the year of “permacrisis”, citing the war in Ukraine, soaring inflation, political turmoil, energy prices and rising interest rates among some of the issues causing worry for people in Scotland.
Rising levels of frustration among the population were evident in the report, with a strong sense of “looking for someone to blame”. Some 69% reporting an increase in household anger and 80% said they are becoming increasingly frustrated with the situation.
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of those surveyed blame the UK Government for the current crisis, with almost four in 10 blaming the Liz Truss/Kwasi Kwarteng mini-Budget as the main cause.
More than one-quarter (26%) said their family relationships have suffered as a result of the strain the crisis is creating. Rising costs have had an impact on people’s mental health, with 75% reporting an increase in stress and a further 35% saying they are having difficulty sleeping. Scots are also changing how they spend their leisure time, with 87% making cutbacks or delaying any purchases, 57% eating out less, and 55% curtailing days out.
Nearly half of those surveyed (45%) said they planned to take fewer holidays, and 26% say they are having less sex. Some 55% are using more budget brands and half are shopping at budget supermarkets more often.
People are turning to streaming services to take their minds off of the ongoing issues, with 24% reporting they have been watching more through services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. There was also an increase of 23% in the number of people watching broadcast news to keep informed of the latest developments.
The report concludes the economic situation is “worse than we think” –and worse than the financial crisis in 2008. People in Scotland are being “pushed to the limit”, the report suggests, and people are feeling more pessimistic than throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Adam Swann, chief strategy officer at The Union, said: “This report throws light on the real human impact of the recent economic turbulence. It’s not just about news headlines, it’s millions of people worrying about putting food on the table or not having money to buy gifts at Christmas.”
A Treasury spokesman said: “Countries around the world are facing rising costs, driven by Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, and we know this is affecting people here in the UK.
“The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee will save the typical household around £700 this winter, based on what energy prices would have been under the current price cap – reducing bills by roughly a third. In addition, we have provided at least an extra £1200 of cost of living support to eight million of the most vulnerable households.
“We’ve also reversed the rise in National Insurance contributions and made changes to Universal Credit to help working households keep more of what they earn.”
