Three million households skipping meals as confidence in the economy plummets

Three million households are being forced to skip meals and cut family visits, according to new research from Which?

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 10th April, analysis 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. 

The research 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%).

The data also found that 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. 

The data also found that 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.

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. 

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.”