Net approval of the government’s handling of the cost of living reaches its lowest level since YouGov began tracking in October 2022
Key takeaways
- Cost of living tops the list of public concerns, at 54%
- 8% of Britons say the government is handling the cost of living well, while 85% say badly – a net score of -77, the lowest YouGov has recorded since tracking began in Oct 2022
- Public are divided on whether Labour or Tories more to blame for crisis
- Government’s failure to take strong action is more likely (65%) to be seen as a reason for rising prices than other factors such as companies profiteering (53%), Brexit (51%), the pandemic (44%) or Ukraine war (44%)
- Britons would prefer a Starmer/Labour government to handle the cost of living over a Farage/Reform government, but are divided when it comes to Labour vs the Tories
- 44% say they have struggled to pay food bills in last 3 months and 37% say same for energy bills
- Only 9% say their financial situation improved last year, and just 12% say they expect it to get better this year
Keir Starmer has dictated that the government’s message for all of this week will be on the cost of living, with prime ministerial visits across the country aiming to highlight recent policies the government has introduced to help.
Now a new YouGov survey shows where public opinion – and experience – on the cost of living stand at the start of 2026.
Cost of living tops the list of most important national issues to Britons
The prime minister appears to have chosen wisely with his topic. A slightly modified version of our long-running ‘top issues facing the country’ tracker finds the cost of living comes top, being picked by 54% of Britons as one of up to three main national priorities. This represents a small increase since the last time this particular question variant was used in March 2025, with immigration following in second place on 49%, and health and the NHS in third on 43%.
The cost of living is most common top issue given by 2024 Green, Labour and Lib Dem voters, while placing second for Reform UK voters and a close fourth among Tories.
Few Britons think the government are managing the cost of living crisis well
In less positive news for Keir Starmer, a mere 8% of Britons say the government is handling the cost of living well, compared to 85% who say it is handling it badly. This represents the lowest net score (-77) since YouGov began tracking in late 2022.
The public are divided on whether Labour or Tories are more to blame for cost of living crisis
When it comes to who is to blame for the cost of living crisis, the public are split. One in four (24%) Britons say the current Labour government are most responsible for the current state of the cost of living in the UK, while slightly more (29%) lay the blame primarily at the door of the previous Conservative governments since 2010. A further third (34%) say both are equally to blame.
Government failure to act is more likely to be seen as a reason for cost of living issues than other factors
And it is now the failure of government to act that Britons are most likely to see as a driver of rising costs.
In September 2022, YouGov asked the public what factors they believed were behind the rising cost of living. At that time the top answer was the war in Ukraine, then only a little over half a year old, at 74%. This has since fallen by 30pts to 44%, putting it close to the bottom of the list of factors we asked about, on an identical score to the coronavirus pandemic (itself down 12pts from 56%).
Instead, “government failure to take strong action” now tops the list, at 65% – a figure that has remained steadfast over the intervening period, having been 62% in 2022.
Approximately half of Britons (51%) blame Brexit for the cost of living (largely the same as the 54% in 2022), as well as companies profiteering (53%, down from 67%).
Which government would be best on the cost of living?
With Reform UK continuing to lead in the voting intention polls, a morsel of good news for Keir Starmer is that Britons are more likely to think that a Labour government led by himself would be better for tackling the cost of living than a Reform UK government led by Nigel Farage, by 35% to 27%.
However, in less good news for the prime minister, he falls slightly behind on this measure when compared against Conservative alternative Kemi Badenoch, at 25% vs 29%.
How are Britons coping with the cost of living?
More than four in ten Britons (44%) say they have struggled to pay for food in the past three months, with 37% saying the same of their energy bills.
Almost half of Britons (49%) say their household finances became worse in the last 12 months, while only 9% say they improved; 40% say they have remained about the same.
There is little optimism for 2026, however, with just 12% expecting an improvement in their financial situation this year. Fully 44% expect deterioration, while 37% think things will get neither better nor worse for them.
Asked about their spending plans, 63% of Britons say they expect to have to make cuts to their usual spending, including 44% who say this comes off the back of already having done so.
Energy and utilities are the most common top concern for Britons when asked which area of their household spending most worries them, with 36% saying picking this option.
This is followed by food on 16% and mortgage or rent payments on 13% - no other element reached double digits. One in five Britons (19%) say they aren’t worried about any areas of their household spending.
The rankings are heavily influenced by older Britons, most of whom will own their own homes. Indeed, while 49% of the over-65s say energy and utilities are their top concern, just 4% say so of housing costs. By contrast, among the youngest adults, the number picking housing, food, or energy costs as their top concern is near-equal (18-20%).
How best to help with the cost of living?
There are two main ways that the government could help people with the cost of living: reducing costs or giving people money. When asked which method of help Britons would most prefer for themselves, the public are split: 47% choose the former, while 46% choose the latter.
However, when asked what method would be the best way nationally, opinion swings significant towards reducing costs, at 64% compared to 27% for cash transfers, likely indicating a lack of trust that others can be expected to act responsibly when given money.
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