County tightening its belt before Christmas

West Sussex appears to be tightening its belt ahead of the festive period, according to the results of our survey.

Jpimedia, publisher of this newspaper, canvassed the opinions of thousands across the country and our county in a survey for The Big Conversation: a campaign to find out what people wanted their community to look like after the pandemic.

Last month, the results were revealed for West Sussex and nationwide.

With Christmas only two months away, we took a look at how the respondents’ finances have been affected by the pandemicandhowthis may shape their spending in the weeks to come.

When asked if they had cut back on their spending, 60.2 per cent of West Sussex respondents said yes – more than five per cent higher than the national figure of 54.89 per cent.

This frugality is not surprising, given the economic uncertainty associated with the pandemic. But there have also been some ‘ knee-jerk’ savings associated with more people working from home.

This could be reflected in West Sussex respondents’ answer to whether they were employed or not.

Of those that responded, 61.1 per cent were in paid work, compared to 54.61 per cent nationally; 28.9 per cent said they were not working, versus 33.86 per cent on a Uk-wide level, suggesting West Sussex is in a stronger position than the rest of the country.

However, when it came to job security, the tables were turned. In the West Sussex survey results, 39.6 per cent were ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about their job security or income from paid work, more than the 34.48 per cent national survey result. Those ‘not concerned’ or ‘not at all concerned’ made up 36.8 per cent of West Sussex respondents, slightly less than the 37.69 per cent nationally.

Regarding their personal and household finances, people were more concerned across the board. In the West Sussex survey results, 50.8 per cent were ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’, more than the 46.13 per cent national survey result.

Equally, there were more who were not worried.

Those ‘not concerned’ or ‘not at all concerned’ made up 43.8 per cent of West Sussex respondents, against 47.26 per cent nationally.

These results show that while the county may boast above-average employment levels, job fears are still prevalent – and worries about money even more so.

So with the most expensive time of the year around the corner, how could this affect spending?

A majority of West Sussex respondents – 47.8 per cent – said they did not expect to spend as much or more than they did last year, almost five per cent more than the national result of 42.88 per cent. But it is not all about money; 48.3 per cent in West Sussex still felt it was important to really make an effort with Christmas this year, in line with 48.82 per cent nationally.