Cost of Living Crisis in Greenwich
Introduction
Rising cost of living can affect people’s health in multiple ways. A lack of sufficient food, or a lack of food of good nutritional value can leave people with a deficit in key dietary nutrients. Being unable to keep the heating on at home can risk developing respiratory diseases or worse. Constant worry about how to manage increases anxiety, reduces wellbeing and worsens mental health.
During our outreach and community engagement Greenwich residents told us how rising prices are affecting every aspect of their lives - from sitting at home in the cold, buying cheaper processed food (often high fat/salt content), going without toiletries, putting off buying essentials like winter clothing, and not visiting family and friends because of transport costs.
Methodology
We surveyed 106 Greenwich residents during December 2022 to understand the effect of the rise in cost of living on people’s health and wellbeing.
Summary of findings
Our survey shows how the increase in cost of living is exacerbating existing inequalities
• Ethnic minority residents fared poorer in every category when compared to white residents.
• Residents living with disability/long term conditions worry more about paying bills, feel stressed and anxious most of the time and are more likely to have cut back on heating and food - compared to residents not living with disability/long term conditions.
When we asked if the cost of living is affecting their health and wellbeing, most people said it is.
Increases in the cost of living negatively affect Greenwich residents. Nearly 90% of our sample felt their health and wellbeing was poorer as a result. 4 in 5 are heating their homes less and more than 3 in 5 have felt cold at home as a result.
While less than half are cutting back on how much they spend on food, nearly a third are cutting back on how much they eat. 3 in 4 of our sample worry about how to pay their bills, and more than half suffer from low mood or feel more anxious as a result.
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If you would like this report in a different format, please email steve@healthwatchgreenwich.co.uk
