Overview
- Net approval of the government’s handling of the cost of living has fallen to -77, with 8% saying it is doing well and 85% saying badly, the lowest since tracking began in 2022.
- The cost of living ranks as Britons’ top national priority, cited by 54% in YouGov’s latest survey.
- Financial strain remains acute, with 44% struggling to pay for food and 37% for energy in the past three months, 49% reporting worsened finances over the past year, and only 12% expecting improvement in 2026.
- Government failure to take strong action is the most-cited driver of rising costs at 65%, while responsibility for the crisis is split between the current Labour government (24%), previous Conservative governments (29%), and both equally (34%).
- On responses, 64% say reducing costs nationally would help most versus 27% for cash transfers; voters prefer Labour under Keir Starmer to Reform under Nigel Farage on tackling the issue (35% to 27%) but Starmer trails Conservative Kemi Badenoch (25% to 29%).