Publication date: 2/17/2023 at 1:03 PM
High energy prices and inflation make it difficult to pay all the bills. Do the financial problems cause health problems? Do people know where to go for financial help? What do people do to help each other? In December 2022 we asked the Health Panel of GGD Hart voor Brabant about this. More than 4500 adults participated. About one in three cannot make ends meet.
More stress and worse sleep
Thirty percent of the respondents who have difficulty making ends meet are stressed due to financial problems. Respondents under the age of 50 are particularly affected by this, with payment problems leading to stress for 47% of them. One in four respondents with financial problems has trouble sleeping because of it. If there is not enough money, one in three cannot turn on the heating. One in six cannot afford to spend money on medical aid or aids such as arch supports or glasses. Membership of a (sports) club is too expensive for 13%. Of all panel members, 7% indicate that they need financial assistance. Just over half of them do not know where to get this help.
Many people want to help
Almost all panel members sometimes reflect on the fact that others live in poverty. Slightly more than half sometimes do something for people in poverty. They donate clothes, food or toys, support charities or make a contribution with volunteer work, attention or advice. Several respondents indicated that they would like to help, but are unable to do so at the moment: ‘I would like to help people who are in financial difficulties, but I am not in a position to help myself. I also have to fight every month to be able to pay everything’. Almost 80% are willing to do something about poverty in their own neighbourhood, but it is not always clear who really needs that help. ‘We know very few people with financial problems or we don’t talk about it’
The results of the panel study are summarized here infographic.