1. Main points
The following information is for the latest survey period 19 April to 1 May 2023, based on adults in Great Britain.
When asked about the important issues facing the UK today, the most commonly reported issues continue to be the cost of living (93%), the NHS (87%), the economy (73%), and climate change and the environment (61%).
Around half of adults reported that they were worried about the cost of food (51%) and the cost of energy (48%) in the past two weeks, with around a third (33%) worried about their general health.
Around 7 in 10 (70%) adults reported their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago.
The most common reasons reported by adults who said their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago were an increase in the price of food shopping (97%), an increase in gas or electricity bills (73%), and an increase in the price of fuel (40%).
The most common actions reported because of the increase in the cost of living were spending less on non-essentials (63%), using less fuel such as gas or electricity in the home (54%), shopping around more (46%), and spending less on food shopping and essentials (46%).
Around half (48%) of adults reported less variety than normal when food shopping, and around 4 in 10 (40%) reported having to spend more than usual to get what they normally buy.
3. Measuring the data
This release contains data and indicators from a module being undertaken through the Office for National Statistics' (ONS') Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).
Breakdowns by age and sex, including confidence intervals for the estimates, are contained in our Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain datasets.
Where changes in results from previous weeks are presented in this bulletin, or comparisons between estimates are made, associated confidence intervals should be used to assess the statistical significance of the differences.
Sampling and weighting
In the latest period (19 April to 1 May 2023), we sampled 4,942 households. This sample was randomly selected from people who had previously completed the Labour Market Survey (LMS) or OPN. The responding sample for the latest period contained 2,018 individuals, representing a 41% response rate.
Survey weights were applied to make estimates representative of the population (based on ONS population estimates). Further information on the survey design and quality can be found in our Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Quality and Methodology Information (QMI).
Back to table of contents5. Cite this statistical bulletin
Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 5 May 2023, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: 19 April to 1 May 2023
Contact details for this Statistical bulletin
policy.evidence.analysis@ons.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 30 0067 1543