Finance

Here’s what people around the UK are most worried about right now

Ryan Brothwell 18 May 2025 2 min read

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its latest Public Opinions and Social Trends report, detailing how people feel around the United Kingdom.

The data, which was collected from 2-27 April 2025, shows that finances are at the top of mind for many Brits, with the rising cost of living repeatedly named as one of the top concerns.

When asked about the important issues facing the UK today, the most commonly reported issues were the cost of living (88%), the NHS (85%) and the economy (74%). Around 3 in 4 adults (72%) reported that their cost of living had increased in the last month; this proportion has increased from 66% in the previous period (5 – 30 March 2025).

While these figures are high, the data shows that these have been a consistent point of concern for Brits for at least the last 18 months. The proportion of adults reporting the NHS as an important issue has generally remained stable since October 2022 (82%).

The proportion of adults reporting the cost of living as an important issue gradually decreased to 87% in December 2023 and has remained relatively stable since.

The rising cost of living

Between 2 and 27 April 2025, around 3 in 4 adults (72%) reported that their cost of living had increased in the last month. This proportion has been increasing since a low of 45% between 5 and 28 July 2024 and is now at a similar level to 19 April to 1 May 2023 (70%).

Around a quarter (27%) of adults reported that their cost of living had stayed the same; a fall from 33% in the previous reporting period of 5 to 30 March 2025. Just 2% of adults said that their cost of living had decreased in the last month.

In the latest period, 15% of all adults said that they had not had any worries in the past two weeks. Those aged 70 years and over were more likely to report no worries (20%) than those aged 16 to 29 years (13%).

Among all adults, the most commonly reported worries in the past two weeks were:

Social or political issues (44%)

Financial issues (42%)

Health (42%)

These proportions were significantly higher among those experiencing moderate to severe depressive symptoms when compared with those experiencing no or mild depressive symptoms.

Among all adults, the majority undertook some action in the past two weeks to look after their well-being, with just 6% reporting that they did not take any actions.

The most commonly reported actions among all adults were: