UK households struggle to pay energy bills – poll

New research by Ipsos showed high levels of public concern in the UK about the rising cost of living. One in three Brits said they were struggling to afford their energy bills, and this was before the newly-announced 80% price cap hike.

According to the study, which was conducted between August 22-24, one in ten people found it “very difficult” to afford energy prices in the past three months and two in ten found it “fairly difficult.” Families with children were particularly impacted.

The study says many people have been taking measures to deal with the rising costs.

“Since the start of the year, people are most likely to have started going out socialising less (54%), changed their regular supermarket to a cheaper alternative (49%) or driven their car less (48%) in response,” the report said.

Other popular measures included not turning the heating on when they normally would have (47%) and using price comparison websites to find cheaper energy suppliers (43%).

The study also found that almost nine in ten have been turning their lights off when leaving a room at least once a week, while three-quarters have turned electrical goods off when not in use. Around two in three are using less hot water at least once a week and half are not turning their heating on when they usually would have at least once a week, Ipsos wrote.

Meanwhile, on Friday, government regulator Ofgem announced that British households will see energy prices surge by 80% starting from October, with the annual price cap set to be increased from the current level of £1,971 ($2,323) to £3,549 ($4,183).

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