Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker - November 2023 Insights

This briefing of the latest results Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker, produced by the David Hume Institute and the Diffley Partnership, marks its second birthday, showing many Scots continue to take extreme measures to navigate turbulent economic times:

Mark Diffley, Director of the Diffley Partnership and Scott Edgar, Senior Research Manager present the top ten insights from the latest tracker results and with reflections on the long term implications of the data:

• 1 in 6 people (17%) report skipping meals

• 1 in 5 people are using ‘buy now pay later’ payment plans

• 2 out of 3 people (67%) are not putting the heating on to reduce costs

For many, the ongoing challenges with the cost of living are dominating their lives with:

• 3 in 10 (29%) Scots tell us they are losing sleep due to their personal finances

Many Scots are living with severe financial precarity:

• 3 in 10 people (28%) are not confident of covering a £100 emergency expense – up three percentage points since February 2023.

• This rises to 1 in 2 (49%) for an emergency expense of £500.

The survey also shows 8 in 10 Scots perceive the economy as favouring the wealthy (78%), while 53% believe it primarily serves business interests. Only 1 in 10 (10%) believe that the economy works in their own interest.