A poll, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Camerados, found that money worries mean 36% of adults anticipate spending less time with friends and family this winter. This figure rises to over two in five (45%) amongst 25 – 44 year-olds. Almost a quarter of adults (24%) have already cancelled social plans due to financial worries, a figure that is likely to increase as the cost-of-living crisis worsens and becomes a cost of connection crisis.
Over a quarter of adults (27%) anticipate that stress and worry about how they will pay the bills is going to make them feel less sociable over the winter. Respondents also said that embarrassment about not being able to afford to pay for things will keep them at home (22%) along with worry that they will feel pressure to pay for others which they can’t afford to do (21%).
Of those who said they anticipated spending less time with family and friends, two thirds (66%) gave not being able to afford the cost of going out as a reason and a similar proportion (63%) said the cost of travel will be a barrier to visiting friends and family. Forty percent of this group say they won’t be able to afford the cost of regular activities (e.g. class fees, membership fees, entry fees) where they meet people they know. This means that people will also be missing out on those casual friendships that often make day to day life a little brighter.
Forty three percent of all UK adults are planning to reduce the frequency of some of their regular social activities over the winter due to the increased cost of living – eating out was the most commonly cited activity that people said they will stop or reduce.
The fact that our ability to spend time with others is threatened again so soon after the covid lockdowns seems especially cruel. More than half of respondents (51%) said the thing they missed most in lockdown was having things like social events to look forward to, 47% said they missed having a laugh with others, 41% missed feeling connected to others and 40% missed having chats with acquaintances.
Camerados have been helping to bring people together during tough times since 2016 when the first Camerados Public Living Room opened, there are now more than 125 across the world. Yvonne Dawson, Camerados’ Communities lead, said: ‘Public Living Rooms are agenda-free spaces where people can connect with others without having to worry about spending money. No one expects anything of anyone in a Public Living Room, they’re just places for people to be with others and for communities to feel more unified when times are tough. The survey results show we need places where folk can spend time together more than ever.’
Daisy Silva who runs a Public Living Room in Rochdale said: ‘Things have been hard for many of us in our community for a long time and lots of people are living in poverty despite the fact that they’re working. Our Public Living Room is somewhere people can come to be with others who might be going through the same things and where they can chat with others and forget about their troubles for a while.’
Camerados founder Maff Potts said: ‘The impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on individuals and households is horrendous and it’s becoming clearer we’re heading into a cost of connection crisis too. This means many people will feel more isolated just when they need to connect with others the most. At Camerados we understand that a lack of connection is at the root of all big social problems. That’s why it’s so vital that we do everything we can to come together as communities during this challenging period.’
Anyone can open a Public Living Room in their community. Just contact [email protected] to arrange a chat.
