People from all parts of the UK, representing all age groups including a significant majority of Labour voters, believe the rate of inflation will increase in the next year across a range of categories, from bills and shopping to going out.
Almost three quarters (71%) of those surveyed between 22 and 25 November expect the rate of inflation to increase. They also appear to have become markedly more worried about this than at the start of the year, when the figure was at 40%, or two in five people.
“The cost of living was a real problem for the last Conservative government – even when the rate of inflation was coming down the impact on prices that people were still facing was a key factor in many voters’ decisions. It is now shaping up to be a challenge for the Labour government too,” Gideon Skinner, head of politics research in public affairs at Ipsos, told Sky News.
“Expectations that inflation will rise again are much more widespread than they were earlier this year, with the public particularly concerned about the cost of core household bills like utilities and food shopping.
“Under 55s and those on low incomes are particularly concerned about the short-term personal impact of the cost of living, though older people are generally more pessimistic for the prospects of further rises in inflation and falls in their disposable income next year.”
