Half of Scottish adults rationing everyday essentials to keep on top of bill payments

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A new poll conducted by YouGov for StepChange Debt Charity, has revealed that 43 per cent of the UK population, including 48 per cent of Scottish adults, equivalent to more than two million people, have found it difficult to keep up with household bills and credit payments in the last few months.With the rising price of living costs putting a strain on household finances, the new poll of 1,800 people in January, suggests that almost one in five (18%) Scottish adults have borrowed to pay for essential household bills and utilities in the past 12 months.

The proportion of people falling behind on financial commitments is growing, with 14 per cent of Scottish adults saying they were behind on at least one household bill in January.Overall, the cost of living crisis has led people to feel much less financially secure.

Only one in 14 (7%) Scottish adults said their financial situation was more secure now compared to a year ago.Almost half of Scottish adults (46%) mentioned that their financial situation is less secure now compared to this time last year.Considering the widening proportion of people struggling to maintain payment of ongoing bills and credit commitments, StepChange Scotland said the Scottish and UK Governments, alongside creditors, must take a supportive approach toward dealing with this crisis by prioritising engaging with and helping people in financial difficulty over punitive enforcement action.Sharon Bell, Head of StepChange Debt Charity Scotland, said: “Over the past 12 months, people’s financial resilience has taken hit after hit as the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on their finances.