Financial wellbeing in April 2026
Summary
- Consumer confidence in the future UK economy fell to -62, the lowest level since the height of the cost of living crisis. Consumer confidence in their future household financial situation fell by eight points to -23, the lowest level in over three years.
- The vast majority of consumers are worried about fuel prices (83%) and food prices (85%), leading many to make adjustments to their driving, shopping and eating habits in the last month.
- Financial difficulty continued to rise in the month to April 10th. One in thirteen UK households (7.7%) reported missing a housing, bill, loan or credit card payment and 53% of households reported making adjustments, such as cutting back on essentials, dipping into savings, selling possessions or borrowing.
Consumer confidence plummets
Consumer sentiment was already bad prior to the conflict in the Middle East, but it has fallen sharply in the past two months. Our latest data from mid-April shows consumer confidence in the future UK economy fell to -62, the lowest level since the height of the cost of living crisis. This reflects that less than one in 10 UK adults (9%) think the UK economy will improve over the next 12 months and the vast majority (71%) think it will worsen.
UK consumer confidence
Approximately 2,000 respondents per wave. UK level data are weighted to represent the adult population of the UK by age, gender, region, social grade, working status and housing tenure. Future measures ask consumers if they think things will get better or worse over the next 12 months.
Although consumers are less pessimistic about their own future household financial situation, this month saw an eight point fall to -23, the lowest level in over three years (43% think their household finances will worsen over the next 12 months, 20% think it will improve and 32% think it will stay the same). Consumer confidence in their current household financial situation also fell this month to +17, down 4 points and the lowest level since June 2024.
Consumers are worried about prices and making adjustments to lower their spending
Consumers are not only pessimistic about the future but also worried about current prices. 83% of UK adults are worried about fuel prices (up from 71% in February) and 85% are worried about food prices. They are also adjusting their behaviour; 67% of UK adults said their household had made at least one adjustment to shopping or eating habits in the last month to reduce how much they spend on food and a similar proportion of drivers (69%) have made adjustments to their driving habits over the same period.
The most commonly reported food adjustments include buying cheaper products (43%), buying more supermarket own budget-range items (37%) and buying extra items when on promotion (31%). More concerningly, 15% of UK households reported going without some foods and one in 10 are skipping meals.
A third of petrol, diesel or hybrid vehicle drivers reported making fewer leisure trips over the last month (33%) and 23% reported planning their journeys more carefully.
Adjustments UK consumers have made to their food and driving habits in the last month
Financial difficulty continues to rise
Financial difficulty has risen rapidly throughout 2026. In the month to April 10th, 7.7% of UK households reported missing a housing, bill, loan or credit card payment. The average level of missed payments reported over the last three months is 7.5%, a large increase from 5.7% at the end of last year. As shown in the chart below, this level of missed payments is the highest three-month rolling average since May 2024 and, if it increases much further, it will reach levels we saw during the height of the cost of living crisis.
In an energy price shock, the burden of inflationary pressures falls heaviest on lower-income households, who are forced to spend a disproportionate share of their income on essentials. The missed payment rate increases to 13.4% amongst working age households with an annual income below £28,000 and 14.4% amongst working age renters.
Missed payments has increased rapidly in recent months
Approximately 2,000 respondents per wave. UK level data are weighted to represent the adult population of the UK by age, gender, region, social grade, working status and housing tenure.
The proportion of households making at least one adjustment to cover essential spending has also risen in recent months. In the month to April 10th, 53% of households reported making adjustments, such as cutting back on essentials, dipping into savings, selling possessions or borrowing. The current past three-month moving average of 52% is significantly above 2025 levels, with cutting back on essentials (28%) and dipping into savings (27%) being the most commonly reported behaviours.
Over half of all UK households are making at least one adjustment to cover essential spending
Approximately 2,000 respondents per wave. UK level data are weighted to represent the adult population of the UK by age, gender, region, social grade, working status and housing tenure.
Summary
This months’ financial wellbeing metrics paint a bleak picture for the UK. Consumers are deeply pessimistic about the future UK economy and a growing number of consumers feel their financial situation will only worsen. Financial difficulty has risen rapidly in the last few months and is now just below levels during the height of the cost of living crisis. Financial difficulty may increase further in the coming months with potential price rises as the fallout of the conflict in the Middle East continues. This all intensifies the pressure on the government to find interventions that will ease household costs, improve consumer confidence and restore faith in markets.
Methodology
Fieldwork for Which? 's Consumer Insight Tracker is conducted monthly by Yonder on behalf of Which?. The latest wave of data collection took place between 10th to 12th of April. A sample of 2,077 UK adults were surveyed online and weighted to be nationally representative.