December 2024
Featured in this insight: Charity & not-for-profit, Financial services, Public health & wellbeing
51% of Londoners who earn less than £13.15 per hour have relied on a food bank in the past year. A recent report has highlight the growing extent to which London’s lowest-paid have had to use food banks and the impact low pay is having on their mental and physical well-being.
Commissioned by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF), 1,002 Londoners who earned less than the London Living Wage (£13.15 an hour) were surveyed between July and August this year, to understand what life is like for the lowest-paid workers in the capital. 23% of respondents reported using foodbanks at least once a week and 28% said they had used a foodbank in the last 12 months, highlighting a growing reliance on this resource. At the same time, a third of respondents (36%) said they were regularly skipping meals due to financial hardship.
The negative impacts of low pay on their physical and mental well-being were also addressed with over two-thirds (69%) reporting that low pay negatively impacts their levels of anxiety. Sixty-five percent said it was detrimental to their mental health and 68% believe their overall quality of life is negatively affected. To manage rising living costs (particularly energy and food), 51% of respondents said they have taken on additional work to help stretch their finances. Of those, 34% have opted to do more hours at their current job, a third (33%) are working freelance on top of their regular jobs and a quarter (25%) have taken on a second job.
Significantly, when asked what they thought the impact of being paid a living wage that increased in line with inflation would be, improvement in their mental health (62%) was the top response, followed by improved levels of anxiety (59%), and a better quality of life (59%). These findings indicate a clear link between financial hardship and physical and mental wellbeingand highlight the daily challenges faced by low-paid workers in London.
Emily Hodgson, head of partnership and campaigns at the LWF, said: “As inflation eases, it’s important to remember that low-paid Londoners continue to face the brunt of persistent high prices. Our findings today highlight the detrimental impact this continues to have on their mental and physical health".
