More than three in four Brits worried about rising prices

More than three-quarters of Britons are concerned about the rising cost of living, according to official survey data released on Friday, with 77% of adults feeling “very” or “somewhat” worried about red-hot inflation.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said those most likely to report feeling very or somewhat worried included 81% of women and 73% of men.

Those aged 30 to 49 years came in at 82% concerned, and 50 to 69 years was 77%, compared with 70% of those aged 70 years and above.

The ONS said 82% of disabled people were very or somewhat worried, compared with 75% of non-disabled people, while those living with a dependent child aged up to four years were 90% concerned, compared with 76% of non-parents or parents not living with a dependent child.

“While overall levels of worry tended to be similar among adults with different levels of income, those with a gross personal income of less than £10,000 per year had the highest percentage feeling very worried, whereas those with a gross personal income of £50,000 or more had the lowest percentage feeling very worried,” the ONS said.

“Around seven in 10 adults who said their costs of living had increased and that they were very worried about the rising costs of living reported spending less on non-essentials.

“Half of the adults who were very worried about the rising costs of living felt those worries nearly every day.”

Consumer inflation has been running at record levels in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the latest CPI figures showing prices growing 9% year-on-year in April.

That was an acceleration from an already-high 7% figure in March, and was a serious rise from the 1.5% annual inflation reading in April last year.

Reporting by Josh White at Sharecast.com.