‘The longer this carries on, the worse it gets’ - Young People’s Reflections on the Cost of Living Crisis

Recently, EYHC were able to offer two of our peer researchers, Elin and Axe, the opportunity to attend a Cabinet Committee meeting to speak directly to Mark Drakeford and other Cabinet members about the impact of the cost of living crisis on young people. A recent report by the Prince’s Trust found that across the UK, 46% of young people aged 16 to 25, are worried about not having enough money to buy essentials whilst 25% stated that they have skipped meals to cut back on costs[1]. We’ve put this short blog together to share the experiences of some of the young people we’re currently working with to highlight their current situations.

Here is Elin’s experience:

“My electricity bill has quadrupled over the last six weeks. The amount I’m spending on food has doubled. I buy the cheapest food possible, use minimal energy, and still find myself in disbelief at how quickly money disappears. You can utilise all the expert advice, fixate on tips and tricks to save money, share the burden with others to ease pressure. It won’t be enough to beat the system. Nobody should have to be worried about whether or not they should turn the heating on, or where their next meal might come from.“

Furthermore, back in August, Axe facilitated a focus group with members of EYHC’s Youth Action Group to find out about the impact of the cost of living crisis on young people in Wales, particularly those who are or have experienced homelessness.

When asked about the effects of the cost of living crisis on their everyday lives, the young people shared their stories, as they struggled to afford to feed themselves, pay for gas and electric, see their friends and family, or participate in the lives of their communities because of increased transportation costs and the prices of activities. 

“I've been eating a lot less, cause I can't afford to cook proper meals anymore because oil and stuff like that, that's gone up and then I can't just be having like ready meals all the time. So over the days I'll just go [without] and most of what I'll be eating is just snacks cause those are the cheapest things.”

Another young person said:

“I don't go out anymore, because it's too expensive. I’ve cut down on how much I'm eating in a day, cause it's too expensive. I’m very much considering having to rehome my dog, because it's just so expensive having a dog... And gas and electric's gone up. Like every time I clear the debt, I look at it again. It's like 200-300 pounds in debt. Again, like it just makes no sense why everything's gone up and how it's not even gone up a little bit. It's gone up loads.“

“I've had to stop going out and doing things because I just can't afford it anymore. Like I don't even see my boyfriend. I've gone from seeing my boyfriend every single day to once a week. I don't see my stepdaughter anymore. I haven't seen my mother or my father since Christmas. And like, I just don't do half the stuff I used to anymore, because I just can't afford to. Even books have gone up, so I can't even afford to read a book anymore because that's gone up.”

When asked how young people were managing with the crisis and about any support they were getting, a couple of the participants spoke about using food sharing apps, and whilst they appreciated the help, they also felt shame about having to use them.

“It's very helpful, it's very good. It’s just… it's sad to me sometimes to be like dependent on the grace of others instead of actual support from the government, managing the actual source of the cost of living issues. But at the same time, it's nice that people can offer each other support like that.”

A couple of young people also accessed food banks, however, it was pointed out that going to food banks is inaccessible to many young people, particularly those who may have disabilities or other mobility problems and are unable to physically get to them, but also because they require a referral which poses an additional barrier.

Axe also asked EYHC Action Group members how they are feeling about the future:

“I feel like this is gonna cause a lot of deaths. I feel like people are gonna get in such a rut. They’re gonna get so depressed or they're not gonna be able to feed themselves. And the government's gonna have a lot of deaths on their hands because they don't help you. They just go, there you go here’s a couple hundred quid. You pay your bills, that's it. You're done then. Winter is coming now. I can't see anybody being able to afford to have the heating on.” 

“I agree that there's probably gonna be a lot of deaths because this is gonna take a massive toll on just the general wellbeing of the UK, because no one, no one can afford to do anything nice. And a lot of people can't even afford essentials. And then it just creates a bigger gap between the people that can afford those things… And yeah, I don't know… I just feel like the future is gonna be very terrible…”

For many young people, the cost of living crisis means they cannot afford to feed themselves or heat their homes, they cannot afford to see their friends or families, or participate in the lives of their communities. The crisis means more ill physical and mental health, more isolation, more marginalisation, and more loneliness. After two years of the pandemic, we are now faced with another crisis. And once again those most vulnerable in our society are having to pay the highest price. Despite measures that have been taken by both the UK and Welsh Government, it is evident that these measures have not gone far enough and as Elin explains:

“It is heart breaking that so many people are being allowed to suffer while real, effective solutions could be put in place. The longer this carries on, the worse it gets”.

[1] Princes Trust (2022): ‘Class of Covid: 2022’ https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/about-the-trust/news-views/class-of-covid-report