Finance, travel, health, home life and relationships – whatever your patch, pick out useful statistics and surveys from what’s being shared by big brands and academic institutions via the Press Release Wire.

This month’s data – stats on how the public are saving money, the downfall of streaming services, the best places to live/visit in the UK and some relationships that might need a rethink…  

Strained finances

74.6% of people in the UK feel that the Government isn’t offering enough support through the cost-of-living crisis, with 94% saying it will have an adverse effect on their household finances. SellCell’s Cost-of-Living Crisis Survey 2022 also found that 70.2% of UKers will be turning down their heating or turning it off completely as the weather gets colder. Hopefully wardrobes will already be filled with warm clothing options – 38.4% of people plan to buy less clothing, while 56.8% will switch their shops to discount or budget supermarkets. Read more here.

And the cost-of-living crisis isn’t just impacting food and heating – it’s also impacting home entertainment. A new survey from quantilope has found that over a quarter of British consumers are considering cutting down on their streaming subscriptions in the next three months to save money. 23% of those surveyed for the Streaming and Social Platforms study have cut them from their budgets already. Still most popular among the streamers in the UK? Netflix, with 66% of Brits subscribing to the platform… for now. Read more here and then get out the boardgames for all of your home entertainment needs.  

Heading out of the home and back to work is the plan for a rising number of over-65s as a result of increasing financial strains, with record levels of those in the age group now in part-time employment. According to Labour Market Statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the cost-of-living crisis isn’t raising salaries – total pay between May and July 2022 fell by 2.6%. Read more here.

Health

When was the last time you had a check-up? Research from Benenden Health has found that a third of UK adults are ignoring symptoms of potentially dangerous medical conditions. The reasons for this: being unable to get an appointment (30%), believing others need the medical attention more (28%) or that the NHS is overstretched (27%), not wanting to cause a fuss (27%) or because of fear of diagnosis (14%). Only 35% of us are regularly checking or monitoring our health. Read more here.

Home and away

The best place to live in the UK is… Edinburgh, according to the HomeViews Location Report. Lowest rated UK region? London, the rating for which dipped during the lockdowns, with regional locations experiencing a boost post pandemic early days. If you’re a Londoner – take heart. At least, if you live in Bromley, which is the highest-rated London borough, with Barking and Dagenham the lowest. Read more here.

If you’re an eco-friendly kind of traveller, London is likely the place for you, says a study from The Thinking Traveller. The UK capital is top with eco-conscious holidaymakers when looking at internet searches, racking up 23,430. Second was New York with 16,980 searches and Paris in third with 16,540. For travellers more interested in sustainable travel, the USA was the most popular. Read more here if you’re planning a trip soon.

Relationships/inconsiderate partners

In a study of the nighttime habits of women+ in the UK, Bodyform has found that over half avoid being intimate while menstruating, with 29% admitting to sleeping away from their partner during their period. 29% of those surveyed said they have slept on the sofa, in the spare room and even a completely different house to their partner, with 39% saying that this is what their partner prefers. Wow. Read more here.

We provide these as a jumping-off point for your own research and you should perform your own checks on any of these stories – a few tips in this post. If you’d like to source experts, further information or case studies for any of these topics or something else you’re working on, head to the (free) Journalist Enquiry Service to save hours of research and expand your network of sources.