More people blame supermarkets for the cost-of-living crunch than governments or banks, according to new polling.
The Australia Institute’s Carmichael Centre/Centre for Future Work surveyed 1014 voters about increasing costs. Some 83% said supermarkets deserve some blame, or a great deal of blame, for the soaring cost of living.
The findings put supermarkets ahead of energy companies (82%), banks (73%) and government (71%) in blame.
Centre For Future Work Senior Researcher and report author Lisa Heap says the results are emphatic.
“Australians are pointing the finger squarely at supermarkets as public enemy number one in the cost-of-living crisis,” she said.
Three in five (60%) respondents nominated groceries as the most noticed cost increase, far ahead of the next highest result of utilities at 21%.
There is also a strong appetite among voters to increase supermarket competition, with almost two-thirds (64%) saying action in that area is very important to reducing cost-of-living pressures.
“The public’s appetite for increased supermarket competition is unmistakable,” Ms Heap said. “Nearly two-thirds of voters see it as crucial for alleviating cost-of-living pressures.
“Australians are now demanding action on supermarket competition with the same urgency as they’re calling for lower utility costs and higher wages.”
The Poll also revealed the cost-of-living crisis is leading people to spend less on essential services:
- 37% spent less on heating/cooling home
- 29% spent less on healthy food
- 26% spent less on going to the doctor
And 26% of respondents supplemented their income by drawing down savings or superannuation.
The polling evidence indicates that cost of living pressures are having a disproportionate impact on Australians who can least afford it: including low-income households, people receiving income supports, and women.
That is making inequality even worse.
It also indicates the importance of responding to cost-of-living challenges with a suite of measures to make life more secure and affordable – not just using high interest rates to attack inflation, which for many Australians has only made the crisis worse.
Read the full report here.