Just a quarter of over-50s coping with rising prices

As inflation drives up the prices of food and fuel, just a quarter of Britain’s 50-90 year-olds say they are not yet being affected by the cost-of-living crisis, research from LiveMore shows.

Nearly a third said they were being impacted “a lot” by rising prices.

Respondents were asked to say how impacted they were by the cost of living crisis. 24% said they had noticed the increased costs but were unaffected at the moment. 3% said they were completely unaffected. Four in ten (41%) said they were affected but only “a little”.

The hardest hit by rising prices were at both ends of the age spectrum, with up to a third of 50-59 year-olds and 80-89 year-olds being impacted.

Those aged 70-79 were the most comfortable financially, with 35% unaffected by the rising cost of living. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of these were in the South East - where more than a third of 50-90 year-olds were able to cope with rising prices - and East England, where that figure was 31%.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland and the North West saw the highest percentage of 50-90 year-olds “hit hard” by the UK’s economic crisis.

LiveMore’s CEO, Leon Diamond, said: “We rightly hear a lot about older people who are struggling to make ends meet in this difficult economy. But our survey shows that this is only part of the picture. There are many 50-90 year-olds who are not yet feeling the pinch thanks to income from good pensions or investments.

“In fact, these are the people whose spending is continuing to drive the economy and will help it to recover once the recession properly bites.

“As a financial institution, we would rather get a proper understanding of the over-50s’ financial health than make assumptions about them. The results from the Barometer show the true complexity of the financial pressures they are under. Of course, it is hard for some. But not for everyone. And that is good news for the economy.”