Poll reveals '41% of people concerned about their income'

The financial impact of coronavirus is causing 41% of Scots to be concerned about their income, a survey for Citizens Advice Scotland has found.

The poll of 1050 Scots, carried out during the third week of lockdown, also suggests a third of respondents (31%) were equally concerned about paying their rent and utility bills.

Of those with mortgages, 27% expressed concern about keeping up with payments, while 29% were worried about affording Council Tax.

More than a quarter (27%) also revealed anxiety about paying for essential items such as food.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) said the concerns around income show the extent of financial uncertainty people continue to feel amid the outbreak.

CAS financial health spokesman Myles Fitt said: “All across Scotland, the coronavirus outbreak has fundamentally changed the way of life for people.

“What advisers across the Citizens Advice network were seeing before Covid-19 was the issue of people struggling to pay for key bills as a result of a lack of income in the first place.

“With over 40% of people in our survey concerned about their income, there is a real risk the pandemic makes this a more serious issue for a larger group of people.

“Both the Scottish and UK governments, as well as industry regulators, have taken significant steps to ease the short-term pressure on people meeting the costs of daily living.

“Our message to people is that support is there and to access the support you are entitled to.”

He added that the UK-wide Citizens Advice network is still able to provide support on the phone, via its national helpline, or online through its website.

Mark Diffley, director of MDCR which designed and conducted the survey, said the polling “confirms the lasting financial burden faced by many Scots as a result of the coronavirus pandemic”.

Explaining that the impact is being felt harder by people from poorer backgrounds, he added: “While the data illustrates that financial concern is being experienced by people across the length and breadth of the country, it is clear again that concern is not felt equally.

“Of particular note is that those in the C2, D, E social grades are significantly more concerned about their financial situation on a range of issues.

“For example, while 41% of all Scots are concerned about their income, this rises to 47% among those in the C2, D, E social grades; similarly, the figures around concern for paying for food and essentials rises from 27% to 35%.”