The Disabled and the Cost of Living

 People with a disability are far more likely to be poorer than the rest of the population, with up to a third of adults in the lowest-income households having a disability, compared with fewer than a tenth of those in the richest homes.

Disabled people in the UK are much more likely to struggle to heat their homes and cut back on food this winter, according to research from the Resolution Foundation highlighting “massive” income gaps amid the cost of living squeeze.

It found people with disabilities had an available amount to spend that was about 44% lower than that of other working-age adults, exposing them hugely to the rising cost of essentials.

The thinktank said there was a chasm between the underlying disposable incomes of people with a disability (£19,397 a year) and the non-disabled population (£27,792), according to analysis of official figures and a YouGov survey of just under 8,000 working-age adults, more than 2,000 of whom reported a long-term illness or disability.

 It said almost half (48%) of disabled adults said they had to cut back on energy use this winter, compared with almost one-third of people without a disability. Up to two-fifths of people with a disability (41%) said they could not afford to keep their homes warm, compared with 23% of the non-disabled population.

Disabled people among hardest hit by cost of living crisis, finds study | UK cost of living crisis | The Guardian