The cost of living, the economy and housing continue to concern the majority of adults in the UK, according to the latest social trends survey by the Office of National Statistics.   

When asked about the most important issues facing the UK today, almost nine out of 10 adults (87%) said the cost of living — the most commonly cited concern.  

A significant proportion of those surveyed said cost-of-living concerns specifically relate to difficulties meeting rent or mortgage payments. In total four out of 10 (40%) cited this as an issue. The ONS said this remained higher than the 30% that reported these difficulties when this question was first included in this survey in March 2022.   

By contrast, a third of respondents said they were concerned about paying energy bills, but this proportion has fallen over this two-year period (down from 43%).  

Aside from the cost of living, other major issues raised in this survey include the NHS, (mentioned by 86% of respondents) and the economy (70%). This was followed by climate change and the environment (cited by 61%) and then housing (55%).   

Overall, housing was seen as an equal or bigger concern than crime (cited by 55% of respondents), immigration (51%) and international conflict (50%).