Understanding the Cost of Living Crisis in Scotland
This report draws together analysis from a wide range of sources to provide a summary overview of evidence on the cost of living crisis and its impact on Scotland. It includes evidence from Scotland and the UK as well as from other European countries.
Footnotes
1 Scottish Government (2022) The Cost of Living Crisis in Scotland: analytical report
2 ONS Consumer Prince Inflation Data
3 ONS Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK Statistical bulletins
4 Bank of England Website
5 ONS (November 2024) Consumer Price Inflation
6 The fuel poverty rate increased from 24.6% in 2019 to 31.0% in 2022, and extreme fuel poverty from 12.4% to 18.5%. See table 3.2 in the Scottish Household Condition Survey: 2022 Key Findings
7 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Weekly road fuel prices
8 ONS Data Labour disputes; working days lost dure to strike action
9 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
10 Resolution Foundation (2023) Food for thought: The role of food prices in the cost of living crisis
11 Cost of living insights - Office for National Statistics
12 Throughout the report this group of ‘those managing less well financially’ refers to those who say they are: not managing very well, having some financial difficulties or in deep financial trouble, when asked which option best describes how they and their household are managing financially
13 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
14 Food Foundation (2023) Food Prices Tracker: April 2023
15 Section 6. Mortgage Interest Rates in Scottish Government (2024) Scottish Housing Market Review Q4 2024
16 Financial Conduct Authority (2024) Mortgage lending statistics - December 2024
17 ONS (2024) Household Costs Indices for UK household groups: January to March 2024. Following ONS convention, low income is defined as the second decile and high income as the nineth decile. Note that there are some differences between the measurement of the household cost indices (HCIs) and the CPI; in particular the HCIs include changes in mortgage interest rates, stamp duty and other costs related to the purchase of a dwelling, which are omitted from the CPI. The HCIs are classified as statistics in development, and estimates may be revised due to methodological improvements.
18 Commons Library Research Briefing (2024) Rising cost of living in the UK
19 Resolution Foundation and LSE (2022) The Economy 2030 Inquiry: The Big Brexit
20 IFS, (2021), The cost of living crisis – who is hit by recent price increases?
21 Scottish Government (2024) A review of emerging evidence on the effects of the cost of living crisis on debt in Scotland.
22 IFS (2024) Cheapflation and the rise of inflation inequality
23 Resolution Foundation (2023) The Living Standards Outlook Summer 2023 Update
24 First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (2024) Phase Two Report
25 Research carried out by YouGov on behalf of the Scottish Government; regular waves from March 2020; online survey with sample of c.1000 adults 18+ across Scotland at each wave; data weighted to be fully representative of all adults in Scotland (aged 18+).
26 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
27 GCPH and GDA (2023) The impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on disabled people: a case for action
28 Scottish Government (2021) Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2017-20
29 Food Foundation (2024) Food Insecurity Tracking | Food Foundation
30 JRF (2023) Destitution in the UK 2023
31 Trussell Trust (2023) Hunger in Scotland
32 The research is based on an online survey of 3,007 adults including 232 in Scotland from the YouGov UK panel of 2.5 million individuals (fieldwork 11 – 24 August 2023) and an online survey by YouGov of 2,017 adults currently claiming UC, including 176 in Scotland (fieldwork 11 August – 5 September 2023).
33 According to Census Data
34 Scottish Government (2020). Poverty and income inequality in Scotland 2016-19 and Additional Poverty Analysis 2018
35 JRF (2024) Poverty in Scotland
36 Food Foundation (2024) Food Insecurity Tracking | Food Foundation
37 JRF (2023) Destitution in the UK 2023
38 National Centre for Social Research (2023) The Price We Pay: the social impact of the
39 Ruth Wilson, Jonathan Hopkins, Fiona Bender, Lauren Manson, Margaret Currie, Graciela Martínez Sánchez and Jackie Potts (2024) Scottish Islands Survey 2023
40 It is not possible to compare results from the Scottish Islands Survey with the rest of Scotland.
41 Resolution Foundation (2023) Hoping and coping: How families were faring in March 2023
42 Food Foundation (2024) Food Insecurity Tracker: Round 15
43 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
44 Resolution Foundation (2023) Hoping and coping: How families were faring in March 2023
45 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
46 Diffley Partnership (2024) Understanding Scotland, November 2024
47 Article (March 2023) Seven in ten students consider dropping out – How can universities fix this gloomy statistic?
48 Students’ Union UCL (2023) Student Cost of Living Report
49 Carers Trust Scotland (2023) Being a Young Carer is not a Choice: It’s just what we do
50 Scottish Government (2021) Additional poverty analysis 2021
51 Food Foundation (2024) Food Insecurity Tracking
52 JRF (2023) Destitution in the UK 2023
53 Trussell Trust (2023) Hunger in Scotland
54 Scottish Government (2022) Cost of Living Crisis – Analytical Report
55 Scottish Parliament (2022) Meeting of the Parliament, 7 September 2022
56 ONS (2024) Producer price inflation, UK: November 2024
57 Cornwall Insights (2024) Article Business energy bills forecast to stay 70% above pre-crisis rates
58 Cornwall Insights (2024) Article Energy bills for large retail and leisure units to soar £200,000 above pre-crisis levels
59 Royal Bank of Scotland (2025) News Release: Royal Bank of Scotland Growth Tracker
60 Diffley Partnership (2024) Understanding Scotland
61 Self-disconnection is when a PPM customer cannot afford to top-up their meter and so it ‘cuts out’, or when they do not realise that credit on the PPM is running out. (Adcock, A., Bolton, P., Mawhood, B., Sutherland, N. (2022) Self-Disconnection of pre-payment meters. House of Commons Library.
62 Scottish Government (2024) A review of emerging evidence on the effects of the cost of living crisis on debt in Scotland.
63 Ofgem (2024) Affordability and debt in the domestic retail market – a Call for Input
64 Ofgem (2020) Self-disconnection and self-rationing: decision.
66 Scottish Government (2022) Emergency Budget Review: 2022 to 2023
67 Fraser of Allander (2024) Scotland's Budget Report 2024
68 OSCR (2024) OSCR | Sector Overview
69 SCVO (2025) About the sector - SCVO
70 SCVO (2025) About the sector - SCVO
71 OSCR (2024) OSCR | Sector Overview
72 SCVO (2023) Scottish Third Sector Tracker Waves one to six report
73 SCVO (2024) Scottish Third Sector Tracker Waves one to eight report
74 SCVO (2024) Scottish third sector tracker: Wave nine report
75 SCVO (2024) Scottish third sector tracker: Wave nine report
76 Trussell (2024) Emergency food parcel distribution in Scotland 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
77 Scottish Government (2024) Social capital and community wellbeing in Scotland.
78 Scottish Government (2024) Volunteering - Scottish Household Survey Statistics, 2023
79 SCVO (2024) Scottish third sector tracker: Wave nine report
80 IFAN data, in Francis-Devine, B. (2024) Food Banks in the UK. House of Commons Library.
81 Trussell, end of year statistics (2024), in Francis-Devine, B. (2024) Food Banks in the UK. House of Commons Library.
82 SCVO (2024) Scottish third sector tracker: Wave nine report
83 It should be noted that the price of energy in the EU depends on a range of different supply and demand conditions, including the geopolitical situation, the national energy mix, import diversification, network costs, weather conditions or levels of taxation.
84 Further analysis on electricity price statistics in the Euro area can be found here: Electricity price statistics - Statistics Explained
85 Bruegel (2023) National fiscal policy responses to the energy crisis
86 House of Commons Library (2024) Rising cost of Living in the UK & House of Commons Library (2024) Cost of Living Payments: Overview and FAQs
87 Scottish Government (2022) Programme for Government 2022 to 2023
88 Scottish Government (2022) Emergency Budget Review: 2022 to 2023
89 Resolution Foundation (2022) Back on Target: Analysis of the Government’s additional cost of living support
90 IPPR Scotland (2022) IPPR Scotland Responds to UK Chancellor’s Cost of Living Announcement
91 IFS (2022) Response to the Energy Price Guarantee
92 House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee (2023) Cost of living support
93 Based on internal Scottish Government analysis
94 Citizens Advice (2023) The November Cost of Living payments gave some relief — but can’t fix a deeper problem
95 Resolution Foundation (2024) Paying the Price: How the inflation surge has reshaped the British Economy
96 ONS (2024) Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: October 2024
97 ONS (2024) Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK: December 2024
98 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
99 Scottish Government (2004) Scottish Consumer Sentiment Indicator: Monthly Data
100 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
101 Diffley Partnership and David Hume Institute (2024) Understanding Scotland – Economy 2024
102 ONS (2024) Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: November 2024
103 Scottish Government (2024) A review of emerging evidence on the effects of the cost of living crisis on debt in Scotland.
104 Scottish Government (2024) A review of emerging evidence on the effects of the cost of living crisis on debt in Scotland.
105 Scottish Government (2024) A review of emerging evidence on the effects of the cost of living crisis on debt in Scotland.
106 Poverty and Inequality Commission (2023) Cost of Living Briefing
107 Scottish Government (2024) The Scottish Health Survey 2023 - volume 1: main report
108 Scottish Government (2023) People’s Panel – Cost of Living Research Findings
109 The Minimum Income Standard (MIS) is the income that people need to reach a minimum socially acceptable standard of living in the UK today, based on what members of the public think.
110 Davis, A. Blackwell, C. Ellis, E. Padley, M. Stone, J. and Balchin, E. (2024) A Minimum Income Standard for the United Kingdom in 2024, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Available at: A Minimum Income Standard for the United Kingdom in 2024 | Joseph Rowntree Foundation (jrf.org.uk)
111 JRF(2023) Poverty in Scotland 2023
112 RF (2023) Destitution in the UK 2023
113 Resolution Foundation (2024) The Living Standards Outlook 2024
114 Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings - gov.scot
115 Scottish Government (2023) Cost crisis and crime in Scotland
116 Scottish Government (2024) Recorded Crime in Scotland: year ending September 2024
117 Scottish Government (2023) Cost crisis and crime in Scotland
118 Citizens Advice Scotland (2023) Monthly data report on advice sought from the Citizens Advice network – September 2023
119 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
120 Scottish Government (2024) A review of emerging evidence on the effects of the cost of living crisis on debt in Scotland.
121 Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (2024) 2024 Inequality Landscape Health and Socioeconomic Divides in Scotland
122 Public Health Scotland (2023) Mitigating long term impacts of the cost of living crisis
123 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
124 YouGov (2024) Public attitudes to cost of living and other topics: tracker - data tables
125 Bank of England December 2024
Contact
Email: Tom.Lamplugh@gov.scot
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