Fundamentally, we all want safe and healthy communities; to do right by our children and those in our lives who need care. However, we believe that government policies do not work for everyone and that this cost of living crisis is exposing the fractures that stand in the way of all of us being able to live in dignity.
The cost of daily living is hitting hard and deep for some. This is not a shared crisis – the rich are getting more wealthy, and the profit margins of corporations are staggeringly high.
At a critical time like this, our community believes that this government must focus on the things that matter – making sure we have homes where we can thrive and feel secure, livable communities, decent healthcare, that our children and loved ones have the care they need.
The Uplift Community Survey on the Cost of Living Crisis
Being there and providing for those you love isn’t negotiable. But for too many of our members, the struggle of making ends meet is grinding them down and forcing many into feelings of helplessness.
Uplift members live in every community across Ireland and come from many different backgrounds shaping their experiences of life.
During June and July, 2,425 Uplift members shared their views on how the cost of living crisis is impacting them via an online survey.
How members are experiencing the cost of living crisis
85% of the people who took the survey said that they were extremely or very concerned about the cost of living.
By a long shot, energy, fuel costs, and the cost of groceries are the greatest cause of concern for Uplift members. With energy price hikes expected to rise even more, this pressure is only going to increase. As food prices continue to climb, some members are worried they’ll no longer be able to afford to keep food on the table.
Uplift members who took this survey are predominantly in full-time work, retired, or in part-time employment and were spread across Ireland, with the majority in the Dublin region.
Many of our members are parents, grandparents, and adult children who have significant caring responsibilities. This clearly impacts their ability to cope in the face of increasing care costs. From the information shared by members, many parents are now living in situations where they are supporting their adult children, and many are caring for parents struggling to survive in their older years.
Being there and providing for those you love isn’t negotiable. But for too many of our members, the struggle of making ends meet is grinding them down and forcing many into feelings of helplessness.
How we think the cost of living crisis could be tackled
When presented with a range of options that could alleviate the effects of the cost of living crisis there was unanimous agreement that members want this government to focus – securing safe and secure homes, good paying jobs, decent healthcare in our communities, having an income that enables people to thrive, the ability to care for children and loved ones.
More than anything, our community wants everyone to have a home that is safe and secure. Three out of the top four most popular solutions preferred by members were – to turn vacant buildings into homes, build more public homes and lower rents. The second most important strategy favoured by Uplift members is that the super-wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of tax.
Together we are clearly saying that the families, people, communities and places most neglected by policy decisions and the allocation of public resources need to be prioritised. This government has a wide spectrum of choices in its hands – and despite the challenges it faces the fact remains that Ireland is a very wealthy country.
