Millions of UK households skipping meals as confidence in the economy plummets, Which? warns

Which?’s latest Consumer Insight Tracker shows that households across the country are having to take more and more drastic measures to mitigate rising costs. 

In the month to 10 April, Which? found consumer confidence fell to -62 – the lowest level since the height of the cost of living crisis in 2022 (-70). This decline reflects a widespread pessimism as the vast majority of UK adults (71%) think the UK economy will worsen over the next 12 months, while fewer than one in ten (9%) think it will improve. 

Which? found an overwhelming majority of UK adults (85%) are now worried about food prices – up from 83 per cent in February. This concern is forcing lifestyle changes as two thirds (67%) of households have made at least one adjustment to their shopping or eating habits in the last month to reduce how much they spend on food. 

The most common adjustments are buying cheaper products (43%), buying more supermarket own budget-range items (37%), and buying extra items when on promotion (31%).

Concerningly, Which? found one in seven (15%) UK households reported going without some foods and one in ten – equivalent to three million households – are now skipping meals to keep the cost of their weekly shop down. 

Food is not the only major concern for households, Which? found eight in ten (83%) UK adults are worried about fuel prices – this figure has shot up from 71 per cent in February of this year. Over two thirds (69%) have made adjustments to their driving habits to battle costs, with knock-on effects on their social and family lives.

Most common adjustments include making fewer leisure trips over the last month (33%),  and planning journeys more carefully (23%). However, about one in eight said they had visited friends and family less (13%). 

This increase in concern over everyday essentials reflects how financial difficulty has risen rapidly throughout 2026. Consumer sentiment was already bad prior to the Middle East conflict, but has fallen sharply in the last two months.

In the month to 10 April, over half (53%), or an estimated 15 million UK households, made adjustments to cover essential spending, such as cutting back on essentials (29%), using savings (25%), selling possessions (9%), or borrowing from friends or family (9%). Worryingly, 7.7% of UK households missed a house bill, loan, or credit card payment. The average rate of missed payments over the last three months was 7.5%, up significantly from 5.7% at the end of last year. If this trend continues, missed payments will reach levels seen during the peak of the cost-of-living crisis over the next few months.

These findings intensify pressure on the government to find interventions that will ease household costs, improve consumer confidence and restore faith in markets. Businesses must also do everything possible to support their customers and ensure they are offering genuine value for money as millions of households struggle to cover the basics. 

With many households now reaching a breaking point, Which? is calling for urgent policy interventions outlined in a manifesto launched in Parliament this week to tackle unfair rip-offs and improve access to essentials. 

The manifesto includes a priority call to reform the Healthy Start scheme, a vital nutritional safety net for low-income families during pregnancy and early childhood. Which? is warning that its value has failed to keep pace with food inflation and is urging the government to uprate payments, expand eligibility to all families on Universal Credit, and encourage supermarket support to ensure those struggling most can afford a healthy diet.

As financial difficulty continues to rise, anyone struggling to afford essential payments such as housing, bills or credit cards should speak to their provider immediately for support. 

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:  

“Our latest research highlights the deepening strain not only on household finances, but also on people’s physical and social wellbeing as cost of living pressures bite. 

"Many are already making difficult choices, such as skipping meals. Without meaningful interventions the number of people taking drastic measures is likely to increase.

"We need to see urgent action, as set out in our Cost of Living Manifesto, to address these costs and help restore confidence before even more households are pushed into serious financial difficulty.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors: 

Which? Cost of Living Manifesto: Full Policy Report April 2026

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. 

Which? estimates that between 6.6% and 8.9% of households missed or defaulted on a housing, bill or credit payment in the last month to April 10th, with an average estimate of 7.7%. Based on the survey and the ONS estimate for the number of households in 2025 of 29.0 million, this scales up to between 1.9 million and 2.6 million households missing a bill  payment in the last month, with an average estimate of 2.2 million.

This survey indicates that between 50% and 55% of households made at least one adjustment to cover essential spending in the last month to April 10th with an average estimate of 53%. Based on the survey and the ONS estimate for the number of households in 2025 of 29.0 million, Which? estimates that between 14.6 million and 15.9 million households made an adjustment to cover essential spending in the last month, with an average estimate of 15.2 million.

Which? estimates that between 9% and 12% of households skipped meals to reduce how much they spend on food in the last month to April 10th, with an average estimate of 10%. Based on the survey and the ONS estimate for the number of households in 2025 of 29.0 million, this scales up to between 2.6 million and 3.4 million households skipped meals in the last month, with an average estimate of 3 million. 

Which? Consumer Insight Tracker 

Find out more about where to go for debt advice 

Figures:

Figure 1: UK consumer confidence

Figure 2: Adjustments UK adults reported their household have made to reduce how much they spend on food in the last month

Figure 3: Adjustments non-EV drivers have made to their driving habits in the last month

Figure 4: Over half of all UK households are making at least one adjustment to cover essential spending

About Which?

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