Inequality in practice
The public’s attitudes to the rising cost of living make plain the impact of the framing of discussions about inequality and its effects in concrete terms. When we ask people about ‘supporting people with the rising cost of living’ rather than ‘reducing the gap between the haves and have nots’ support for action rises by 12 points.
Only one fifth of Britons (21 per cent) say ‘about the right amount’ is being done to help people cope with the rising cost of living, compared to almost two-thirds (64 per cent) who say ‘too little’ is being done.
Our tracker saw an 11-point increase in those saying ‘too little’ from November '21 to May '22. But we have also seen a slight decrease in the polling data from September following the Government’s £2,500 price cap announcement.
Given our May fieldwork began on the same day the government announced their £37 billion cost-of-living support package, and the September fieldwork only a week after the government’s Energy Price Guarantee capping energy bills at £2,500 for an average household, it is likely the case that these measures have persuaded some – even if not a majority – that enough is being done to help people cope with the rising cost of living.
It is an open question of how opinions will change going forward. Much will depend on whether the Government support packages will do enough to alleviate the impact, or whether ongoing high inflation, record high costs of petrol and diesel, rising interest and mortgage rates, and the impact of much higher (even with government help) energy bills going into winter will mean that the effects continue to worsen.
The impact of the rising cost of living has become worse over time. Since January, we have tracked the actions people have taken in response to rising fuel and food prices. The numbers reporting having to change their lifestyle has risen dramatically. Particularly stark is the 21-point increase in those saying they have cut down on their electricity and heating usage. Those saying they haven’t had to take any action have declined from 9 to 5 per cent, with a further 14 per cent (down from 20 per cent) saying 'none of the above'.
In focus groups with voters across the country conducted by More in Common, people regularly describe their daily struggles with the rising cost of fuel, food and energy, their financial worries, and their hope for Government action to support with spiralling bills.
