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Lancashire Times
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2:00 AM 24th May 2022
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Clothes And Eating Out Among Main Areas Brits Forced To Cut Back On Spending

 


Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, around two in five Britons have been forced to cut back or stop spending on clothes (44%), eating out (39%), non-essential food items (39%), and takeaways (38%) over the last six months, according to new polling by YouGov.

The proportion who have been forced to reduce or stop spending on clothes includes three in ten (29%) who have done so by reducing frequency, with one in ten (10%) having switched to a cheaper alternative, and one in twelve who have stopped altogether (8%).

Three in ten Britons say they have been forced to cut back or stop spending on household essentials such as cleaning products and toilet roll (29%) and staple essential food items (31%) including one in five (20%, 20%) who have reduced spending by switching to cheaper alternatives.

And, despite summer fast approaching, many Britons have already been forced to cut back or stop spending on day trips (31%) and holidays (30%), with around one in ten (11%) saying they have been forced to stop spending on holidays altogether.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, luxury items (36%) and beauty services (29%) also see a significant proportion of Britons saying they have been forced to cut back or stop spending over the last six months, including one in eight (13%) Britons who have stopped spending on luxury items altogether.

With fuel prices one of the areas having seen a particular rise in cost, just over a quarter of Britons (27%) say they have been forced to reduce or stop spending over the last 6 months. This figure includes around one in five (22%) who had reduced spending by doing so less frequently.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many Britons reported taking on new hobbies. However, the cost-of-living crisis may have the effect of curtailing this, with a quarter of Britons (24%) having been forced to cut back or stop spending on pursuing hobbies over the last 6 months, including one in twelve (8%) having stopped spending on this entirely.

Likewise, with homebound Brits having created a surge in uptake for video streaming platforms, around one in six (17%) now report having been forced to reduce or stop spending on this over the last six months. Despite this, two in five Britons say they have not cut back on spending on video streaming subscriptions (38%).

Information supplied by YouGov