Insight

Poll finds 1 in 4 'not confident' they can pay their next energy bill

  • ITV Wales Political Correspondent Owain Phillips explains the results of our poll

The extent of people’s worries about the rising cost of living has been laid bare in a new poll commissioned by ITV Wales and Cardiff University.

Out of more than 1,000 people asked, 71% said they feel their personal financial situation is set to get worse over the next 12 months - and 1 in 4 said they will struggle to pay their next energy bill.

When asked: How do you think the economic situation for you and your household will change over the next 12 months?

This follows changes to the energy price cap from Ofgem which takes effect from April, and will mean increased bills for 22 million households.

The regulator estimates - on average - those on tariffs paying by direct debit will see an increase of £693 and pre-pay customers will see an increase of £708. 

71% of those polled felt their household's economic situation would decline. Credit: PA

When asked: How confident are you that you'll be able to pay your next energy bill?

Costs of products and services

On specific products and services, people feel they’ve seen the biggest increase in the cost of groceries, with 90% of respondents say they’ve seen an increase in the weekly shop.

Elsewhere, people have also seen an increase in fuel and energy prices - with well over 80% feeling both essentials have increased.

90% said they'd seen the cost of their groceries increase. Credit: PA

Interestingly, only 21% say they’ve felt public transport costs increase with the majority saying they don’t spend money in this area. The increase in home working following the pandemic and reduced use of public transport seems to have influenced this result. 

Dr Jac Larner, at Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre said:

“The question here in Wales is which level of Government do the public blame for this problem - are they blaming the Welsh Government or the UK Government? We know from previous research that when things tend to be bad, people blame the UK Government almost regardless of who is in charge of different policies. And when things are going well, people seem to attribute that to the Welsh Government even though it might not be within their powers. 

But if previous patterns of opinion are anything to go by, it will be the UK Government that will be blamed for any immediate increases in everyday cost of living.”

Basic income trial

The Welsh Government recently announced plans to trial a monthly basic income to all 18 year olds leaving care for 2 years.

Around 500 people will be given £1600 under the plans, and it’s been championed by ministers as a means of helping “a generation of young people that need it most.”

The scheme has provoked a strong reaction - with 47% of poll respondents saying they support the plan, and 22% saying they disagreed - with the rest either unsure or not knowing.    

YouGov polled a representative sample of 1,086 Welsh voters, aged 16+, between 25th of February and 1st March for ITV Cymru Wales and Cardiff University.

Barn Cymru is a collaborative partnership between ITV Cymru Wales, Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre and the leading polling agency YouGov. The recently refreshed partnership aims to provide an insight into people's beliefs, attitudes and opinions and to gain real-time feedback on public views in Wales.