Inspire commissioned YouGov to carry out a survey of adults in Northern Ireland to understand the impact that the rising cost of living was having on people’s mental health and ability to take the 5 steps to mental wellbeing.
The survey fieldwork was carried out between 15-20 September 2022. A full data breakdown is available on request
Impact on mental health
To what extent, if at all, has the current increase in cost of living had a negative impact on your mental health or wellbeing?
79% of adults said that their mental health and wellbeing had been negatively affected by the current increases in the cost of living.
- 29% reported a significant negative impact
- 49% reported a small negative impact
- 85% of people aged 25-35 reported some level of negative impact
- 91% of people aged 35-44 reported some level of negative impact
- 85% of people aged 45-54 reported some level of negative impact
- 61% of people aged 55+ reported some level of negative impact
- 86% of adults with at least one child reported some level of negative impact
- 83% of workers reported some level of negative impact
Thinking about any help of support you have sought for your mental health or wellbeing as a result of the impact of increased cost of living. Which, if any of the following have you done?
46% of adults have sought help or support for their mental health and wellbeing as a result of the impact of the current increases in cost of living.
- 42% have spoken to friends or family
- 10% have spoken to their GP
- 5% have sought practical support, e.g. food banks, advice organisations, etc
- 8% have not sought help or support because they are not sure where to go
- 9% have not sought help or support because they are embarrassed to ask
How anxious, if at all, do you feel about your financial situation over the next 12 months (i.e. between now and September 2023)
66% of adults are anxious about their financial situation over the next 12 months
- 25% of adults are very anxious
- 41% of adults are fairly anxious
- 8% of adults are not at all anxious
- 69% of people aged 25-34 are very or fairly anxious about their financial situation
- 78% of people aged 35-44 are very or fairly anxious about their financial situation
- 73% of people aged 45-54 are very or fairly anxious about their financial situation
- 51% of people aged 55+ are very or fairly anxious about their financial situation
- 69% of workers are very or fairly anxious about their financial situation
- 74% of adults with at least one child are very or fairly anxious about their financial situation
Impact on activities and behaviours
Thinking about the impact of the cost of living on your health and wellbeing over the next 12 months, to what extent if at all, do you expect your financial ability to do each of the following to be negatively affected
The options were
- Really difficult or impossible
- Difficult but not impossible
- Fine to do without too much difficulty
- Easy to do
- Did not do this anyway
- Don’t know
- Prefer not to say
Ability to buy essential items (food, heating, clothing)
- 9% will find it really difficult or impossible to do this
- 43% will find it difficult but not impossible to do this
- 54% of people aged 25-34 will find it difficult (43%) or impossible (11%) to do this
- 57% of people aged 35-44 will find it difficult (43%) or impossible (14%) to do this
- 66% of people aged 45-54 will find it difficult (52%) or impossible (14%) to do this
- 48% of people aged 55+ will find it difficult (42%) or impossible (6%) to do this
- 54% of workers will find it difficult (45%) or impossible (9%) to do this
- 55% of adults with at least one child will find it difficult (46%) or impossible (9%) to do this
Meeting up with friends and family
- 9% will find it really difficult or impossible to do this
- 37% will find it difficult but not impossible to do this
- 54% of people aged 25-34 will find it difficult (41%) or impossible (13%) to do this
- 55% of people aged 35-44 will find it difficult (44%) or impossible (11%) to do this
- 64% of people aged 45-54 will find it difficult (47%) or impossible (17%) to do this
- 31% of people aged 55+ will find it difficult (27%) or impossible (4%) to do this
- 48% of workers will find it difficult (40%) or impossible (8%) to do this
- 51% of adults with at least one child will find it difficult (41%) or impossible (10%) to do this
Attending health and social care appointments
- 11% will find it really difficult or impossible to do this
- 25% will find it difficult but not impossible to do this
- 45% of people aged 25-34 will find it difficult (28%) or impossible (17%) to do this
- 42% of people aged 35-44 will find it difficult (32%) or impossible (10%) to do this
- 47% of people aged 45-54 will find it difficult (29%) or impossible (18%) to do this
- 29% of people aged 55+ will find it difficult (22%) or impossible (7%) to do this
- 36% of workers will find it difficult (25%) or impossible (11%) to do this
- 37% of adults with at least one child will find it difficult (27%) or impossible (10%) to do this
Participating in physical activities like going to the gym or participating in team sports
- 20% will find it really difficult or impossible to do this
- 19% will find it difficult but not impossible to do this
- 50% of people aged 25-34 will find it difficult (23%) or impossible (27%) to do this
- 47% of people aged 35-44 will find it difficult (26%) or impossible (21%) to do this
- 47% of people aged 45-54 will find it difficult (18%) or impossible (29%) to do this
- 25% of people aged 55+ will find it difficult (11%) or impossible (14%) to do this
- 42% of workers will find it difficult (22%) or impossible (20%) to do this
- 43% of adults with at least one child will find it difficult (21%) or impossible (22%) to do this
Attending community activities like social groups and church
- 6% will find it really difficult or impossible to do this
- 14% will find it difficult but not impossible to do this
- 19% of people aged 25-34 will find it difficult (11%) or impossible (8%) to do this
- 25% of people aged 35-44 will find it difficult (16%) or impossible (9%) to do this
- 22% of people aged 45-54 will find it difficult (14%) or impossible (8%) to do this
- 14% of people aged 55+ will find it difficult (10%) or impossible (4%) to do this
- 21% of workers will find it difficult (15%) or impossible (6%) to do this
- 20% of adults with at least one child will find it difficult (14%) or impossible (6%) to do this
Self-care (e.g. hair appointments, complementary therapies)
- 19% will find it really difficult or impossible to do this
- 31% will find it difficult but not impossible to do this
- 59% of people aged 25-34 will find it difficult (37%) or impossible (22%) to do this
- 64% of people aged 35-44 will find it difficult (42%) or impossible (22%) to do this
- 53% of people aged 45-54 will find it difficult (28%) or impossible (25%) to do this
- 38% of people aged 55+ will find it difficult (27%) or impossible (11%) to do this
- 53% of workers will find it difficult (35%) or impossible (18%) to do this
- 56% of adults with at least one child will find it difficult (31%) or impossible (25%) to do this
Going on holidays or having days out
- 31% will find it really difficult or impossible to do this
- 33% will find it difficult but not impossible to do this
- 76% of people aged 25-34 will find it difficult (40%) or impossible (36%) to do this
- 77% of people aged 35-44 will find it difficult (41%) or impossible (36%) to do this
- 72% of people aged 45-54 will find it difficult (26%) or impossible (46%) to do this
- 52% of people aged 55+ will find it difficult (28%) or impossible (24%) to do this
- 69% of workers will find it difficult (36%) or impossible (33%) to do this
- 74% of adults with at least one child will find it difficult (41%) or impossible (33%) to do this