Most adults worried about cost of Christmas lunch

TWO-THIRDS of adults are worried about being able to afford Christmas dinner, research suggests.

People are planning to use items from food banks for their festive meal, according to a survey for the Salvation Army.

The charity said the findings are a “red flag” as poverty creeps further into communities.

The survey of 2,149 UK adults on October 22 by Savanta Comres found that 67% of respondents are worried about affording Christmas dinner this year. This is based on calculating the cost of Christmas dinner at £7.50 per head based on food inflation, although costs have risen since the survey was carried out.

It rises to 81% of people aged 65 and over and 80% of people living in the east of England.

Some 16% expect to use a food bank to get items for their meal, while 38% are likely to skip meals if they have an unexpected expense such as a broken boiler.

Kieran Cleeves Students of London’s leading Santa school, Ministry of Fun, queue to receive their Covid-19 booster and flu vaccines from TV doctor, Dr Hilary Jones. As over 15 million people receive an autumn Covid-19 booster, the Government has launched a new drive to encourage those eligible to get their Covid-19 booster and free flu jab ahead of the festive season.