According to a report released by the open-access journal BMJ Public Health, the United Kingdom’s inflation-fueled cost-of-living crisis is expected to “cut lives short” and “significantly widen the wealth-health gap”.
According to study-related modelling, the percentage of people “dying before their time” (before the age of 75) will increase by around 6.5% as a result of the prolonged period of high costs.
It was predicted that the wealthiest households would see four times as many deaths as the poorest households, with the poorest having to spend a greater percentage of their income on energy, whose price has increased.
The influence of inflation on Scotland’s death rates in 2022–2023 was examined both with and without mitigating measures, such as government assistance to lower household expenses.
The data was then used to simulate various future outcomes on life expectancy and inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole, depending on the implementation of various mitigation policies.
Without any mitigation, the model revealed that inflation might raise fatalities by 5% in the least disadvantaged areas and by 23% in the most deprived areas. With mitigation, however, these increases would drop to 2% and 8%, respectively, for an overall rate of about 6.5%.
In each scenario, the overall life expectancy would likewise decrease.
According to the researchers, “Our analysis adds to the evidence that the economy matters for population health.”
“Inflation and a decline in real income are likely to have significant detrimental effects on mortality, manifested in pronounced inequities,” the study stated further.
“Implemented public policy responses are not sufficient to protect health and prevent widening inequalities,” they continued.
UK inflation is still the highest in the G7 despite unexpectedly slowing in August from a high of 11.1% due to Brexit, the war in Ukraine, and coronavirus lockdowns.
Since 2020, British nationals have been facing a consistent cost of living crisis, which has made it difficult for the average household to meet their daily needs. The cost of living increased sharply across the United Kingdom between 2021 and 2022. This situation has increased the number of shoplifting incidents in the European country as well.
According to The Metro, one in 10 young adults has admitted to stealing items from supermarket self-checkouts to cope with the ongoing inflation, which even though has cooled down now, still remains above 6%.
Essentials like the children’s medication Calpol are among the most often stolen goods in the United Kingdom, the Metro report stated in May 2023. Security tags are now becoming more frequent on specific products, such as milk and cheese.
Another media house, The Independent cited the Office of National Statistics data for England and Wales, which showed a sharp 22% rise in shoplifting incidents in the year to September. The British Retail Consortium figures also suggested the same, with 7.9 million cases in 2022, five million more than in 2016/17.
A 2022 study by the Centre for Retail Research found that shoplifting cost the British economy 660 million pounds in 2021-22.