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Research published by Trussell Trust and YouGov highlights the impact of the rising cost of living and the £20 cut to the Universal Credit.

17th March 2022

Research published by Trussell Trust and YouGov highlights the impact of the rising cost of living and the £20 cut to the Universal Credit. It is not right that one in three people on Universal Credit are having to skip meals and a similar proportion aren’t able to heat their homes because they don’t have enough money to make ends meet.

This new research shows that for people already struggling to afford the essentials, the cost of living crisis goes much deeper. This is not just a cost of living crisis – it is a crisis of our social security system, which is failing to support people to keep their heads above water.

These findings lay bare what is really happening for the more than 5.7 million people on Universal Credit across the UK:

  • More than half (56%) report that they are going without at least one of the absolute essentials we all need to keep warm, fed, and clothed
  • Half (50%) are either already behind on their bills or are facing a constant struggle to keep up with them
  • Two in five (40%) have already fallen into debt following the Universal Credit cut last autumn
  • One in three (33%) had been unable to afford adequate food: meaning they had more than one day in the last month where they didn’t eat at all, or only had one meal

Download and read the true cost of living executive summary in PDF. 

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