FAMILIES struggling to make ends meet has become the “new normal” in Wales, research by charity campaigners has revealed.
The YouGov survey for the Bevan Foundation, published today, shows that people were pessimistic about the prospects for their community and Wales’s prospects as a nation.
Half of people in Wales thought that living standards would worsen in their community and across Wales over the next 12 months.
Foundation director Dr Victoria Winckler said: “We simply cannot let the levels of poverty and financial hardship outlined in our latest data become the new normal in Wales.
“It is imperative that poverty remains a key item on everyone’s agenda and that we take action now to reverse the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis on Welsh communities.”
The Bevan Foundation revealed that families in Wales are still struggling to make ends meet, with one in eight — some 13 per cent — struggling to afford the essentials.
The Foundation’s Dr Steffan Evans said: “Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, people going hungry or going cold has become normalised in many Welsh communities.
“Our new data shows 44 per cent of people reporting that their financial position has had a negative impact on their mental health and 30 per cent reporting the same about their physical health.”
A third said that they are going without heating in their home, while a quarter of people report that they are eating smaller meals or skipping meals in their entirety as they struggle to manage their finances.
Others have been pushed into debt, with 28 per cent of people borrowing money and 13 per cent being in arrears on a bill.
Significant numbers of children are missing out on sports lessons or music lessons, with the majority of those missing out missing out regularly.
“Accessing activities such as sport or music are fundamental to children’s education and social development as well as for creating happy childhood memories,” Dr Evans said.
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We are working hard to support people during the cost-of-living crisis — targeting help to those who need it the most and continuing to provide programmes which put money back in people’s pockets.”
