How Brits are cutting back as the cost of living crisis bites hard

How ordinary Brits are cutting back as the cost of living crisis bites hard: Shock poll reveals staggering reduction in everyday essentials

Britons are cancelling holiday plans and literally tightening their belts by buying less foods as the cost-of-living crisis continues to eat away at their comfort and security. 

New polling for Mail Online reveals the extent to which families are economising in the face of high inflation, interest rates and energy bills. 

More than half of Britons have been cutting back on food shopping as they struggle to make ends meet. 

Almost all those quizzed by Redfield & Wilton Strategies admitted being hit by surging prices, with 43 per cent saying the impact had been ‘significant’.

Grocery spending has been deliberately reduced by 55 per cent of the public, and two-thirds of those who have changed habits said they had switched to value brands – while 40 per cent were simply buying less.

Half of the public has also trimmed their outlay on leisure activities, eating out and clothes in the past month.

Additionally, 41 per cent have ruled out taking a holiday either in the UK or abroad in the coming months.

A poll for MailOnline found nearly all those quizzed admitted being hit by surging prices, with 43 per cent saying the impact had been ‘significant’

Grocery spending has been deliberately reduced by 55 per cent of the public, according to the Redfield & Wilton Strategies research

A poll for MailOnline found that 41 per cent have ruled out taking a break either in the UK or abroad in the coming months

Some 60 per cent of those say their decision is down to relentless pressure on finances. Meanwhile, even those still heading off admitted they have chosen a cheaper destinations and accommodation than usual, or are staying for less time.

At the same time there is widespread unhappiness at the high tax rate. 

But while calls have been loudest for cuts to inheritance tax – being ignored so far by the Treasury – it is income tax that is seen as the least fair by voters. 

It comes as inflation means that more and more people are being dragged into higher tax brackets which have not moved in tune. 

Yesterday, Mail Online revealed that Tory hopes of retaining power at the next election rest on Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt’s hopes of halving inflation and cutting mortgage costs before voters go to the polls. 

while calls have been loudest for cuts to inheritance tax – being ignored so far by the Treasury – it is income tax that is seen as the least fair by voters.

The state of the economy was far and away the most important issue for voters polled for MailOnline.

Tellingly, it was the most important issue across all age groups, with the highest figures among pensioners – a group containing a large number of Tory voters.

In April CPI dropped to 8.9 per cent from 10.1 per cent the month before, dropping out of double figures for the first time in eight months. 

The state of the stumbling economy is far and away the most important issue for voters ahead of an election expected next year, according to figures compiled for Mail Online.

More than a third (35 per cent) surveyed by Redfield &Wilton Strategies said it was the issue that would most define how they would cast their vote in the next election.

Tellingly, it was the most important issue across all age groups, with the highest figures among pensioners – a group containing a large number of Tory voters. 

It comes as mortgage lenders pull financial products from the shelves ahead of an expected further increase in interest rates from the Bank of England, designed to tackle inflation rates remaining stubbornly high.

In April CPI dropped to 8.9 per cent from 10.1 per cent the month before, dropping out of double figures for the first time in eight months.

But again the fall was not as big as expected, with analysts having penciled in a number closer to 8 per cent.

Mr Sunak has vowed to half the rate of inflation by the end of the year as millions struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, high interest rates and the soaring cost of food.

He and Mr Hunt are refusing to bow to backbench demands for tax cuts, in case it affects inflation. 

The next most serious issues on voters minds were education and healthcare, according to a survey carried out for this website by Redfield & Wilton Strategies.

While Mr Sunak has made immigration another key focal point of Tory hopes for re-election, it is just the fourth most pressing issue for voters, with just 9 per cent flagging it as a particular concern.

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