Why Families on a Low Income are Spending More During Covid-19

SUMMARY

The Pandemic Pressures study is a collaboration between the Resolution Foundation think-tank and the Nuffield Foundation-funded Covid Realities research project at the University of York. In general, average household spending has fallen by 10 per cent during the pandemic with decreased spend on leisure activities, meals out, holidays and commuting costs.

The researchers wanted to find out whether this overall drop in spending and a rise in saving reflected the experience of all households, looking at income and family type. They analysed data from two online surveys of more than 6,000 adults commissioned by the Resolution Foundation in May and September 2020. They also looked at data from the Covid Realities participatory research programme, which sees parents and carers from across the UK share everyday experiences of the pandemic.