Living standards· Prices & consumption The price is tight How are the cost of essentials affecting low-to-middle-income families across Britain? Monday 30 June 2025 Disposable incomes have been squeezed in recent decades – especially for poorer households. And in recent years the cost of living crisis has hit the cost of essentials particularly hard – affecting how much families have left over for the more fun things in life. The cost of essentials therefore matters for families, the wider economy, and policy makers who want to ease the pressure on household budgets. READ MORE
Living standards· Prices & consumption· Macroeconomic policy Inflation scarring How has the cost-of-living crisis changed Britain? Wednesday 22 May 2024 Economies around the world exited the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, and jumped straight into the biggest inflation surge for four decades, with a cost-of-living crisis accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But with inflation finally back close to its target of two per cent, to be confirmed by the ONS on Wednesday 22nd May, now … Continued READ MORE
Net zero· Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Prices & consumption· Public spending Powering Britain Can we decarbonise electricity without disadvantaging poorer families? Monday 22 April 2024 The UK’s transition towards a net zero economy requires a complete overhaul of our power sector. We don’t just need electricity generation that has been decarbonised, but a huge amount more of it as we switch away from heating our homes with gas and powering our cars with petrol. This will require a huge step … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Prices & consumption· Brexit & trade Trading standards How exposure to global trade shapes our living standards Monday 19 February 2024 Britain is an open economy, and has become more open over recent decades – despite the impact of Brexit and ‘slowbalisation’. But the quantity and type of goods and services we trade isn’t the only thing that has shifted. So has what we consume and where we work. All of these shifts affect our exposure … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Living standards· Prices & consumption Rising rents and rebounding wages Where is Britain’s cost-of-living crisis heading? Thursday 14 December 2023 Inflation is down, but Britain’s cost-of-living crisis is still very much with us. The legacy of previous price rises for energy and food are now combining with a new pressure: housing. Private rents are rising at their fastest rate in over a decade, while the impact of higher interest rates is still feeding through into … Continued READ MORE
Prices & consumption· Macroeconomic policy We need to talk about inflation What history has to teach us about surging prices Wednesday 3 May 2023 Book launch event for We Need to Talk About Inflation by Stephen King From investors and academics, to governments and central banks, almost everyone had assumed high and persistent inflation was dead and buried. But with inflation having soared to double-digits, people the world over are confronting a new economic reality of surging prices. Reflecting … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Living standards· Prices & consumption Still coping? How families are faring as the cost-of-living crisis enters its second year Thursday 27 April 2023 The UK’s cost-of-living crunch has entered its second year. While inflation should fall significantly in the coming months, the crisis is far from over. Prices are rising more slowly rather than falling. And the significant government support provided last year is being scaled back, while fast rising interest rates will affect more and more homeowners … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Living standards· Prices & consumption· Inequality & poverty New year, renewed squeeze? The outlook for living standards in 2023 and beyond Monday 9 January 2023 Britain’s cost-of-living crisis has been brutal this winter – even with significant government support – as bills rise and real wages fall. Inflation should ease in the year ahead, but government support is also being scaled back and rising interest rates will feed through into higher mortgage costs. The outlook is highly uncertain. How are … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Incomes· Prices & consumption· Wellbeing and mental health Whose economy? Exploring people’s experiences as workers, consumers and citizens Wednesday 11 May 2022 We all experience the economy in a myriad of different ways – from the jobs we do, to the things we buy and the communities we live in. The good, the bad and the ugly of those experiences are important considerations, not just for individual economic policy decisions, but in setting the objectives of our … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Living standards· Prices & consumption Crunch time The Living Standards Outlook for 2022 Tuesday 8 March 2022 The good news is that Britain is finally stepping out of the pandemic. The bad news is that it is stepping straight into a renewed living standards squeeze which, according to the latest Bank of England forecasts, could be the tightest one in generations. Prices, bills and taxes are all going up, and wages aren’t … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Prices & consumption Crunch time The causes and consequences of Britain’s cost of living squeeze Wednesday 15 December 2021 A faster than expected economic recovery has evolved into an entirely unexpected cost of living squeeze. Energy bills surges, and hot competition for second hand cars or even Christmas presents, means that household bills are rising more swiftly than workers’ pay packets. Policy matters too, with some families seeing benefit cuts this Autumn, while others … Continued READ MORE
