Annex A. Many worry about affording energy and food
Annex A presents Table A A.1, which shows the percentage of people who are worried about different expenses in various OECD countries.
Table A A.1. Most respondents worry about affording energy costs and essential food products
Proportion of respondents who report being somewhat or very concerned about their household’s ability to pay for selected spending categories, by country, 2022
Country
Home energy costs
%
Essential food products
%
Fuel for personal vehicle
%
Housing costs
%
Rising costs of paying off/paying down debt
%
Public transportation costs
%
Cost of childcare or schooling
%
Austria
81
71
67
68
55
39
32
Belgium
81
70
71
54
49
38
32
Canada
73
76
70
70
69
38
33
Chile
90
91
74
80
85
82
47
Denmark
66
54
48
48
43
30
23
Estonia
79
68
67
66
57
32
36
Finland
75
65
61
64
55
33
21
France
90
81
79
66
58
46
34
Germany
79
68
65
59
46
41
29
Greece
92
90
84
74
76
61
40
Ireland
86
67
73
63
61
35
35
Israel
75
71
72
75
69
42
44
Italy
87
78
80
63
64
56
42
Korea
65
62
52
60
57
47
40
Latvia
81
79
70
73
62
53
48
Lithuania
82
79
71
65
59
46
49
Mexico
91
91
76
75
85
80
54
Netherlands
76
72
65
60
47
47
34
Norway
68
63
54
61
60
38
29
Poland
81
78
72
73
63
56
49
Portugal
93
90
87
76
72
56
41
Slovenia
78
69
73
59
60
38
47
Spain
91
87
81
76
75
59
40
Switzerland
72
58
56
58
43
47
27
Türkiye
89
88
75
80
87
79
78
United Kingdom
84
74
66
67
60
50
34
United States
73
71
71
65
66
35
39
Average
81
75
70
67
62
48
39
Note: Average refers to the unweighted average of the 27 OECD countries for which data are available. Respondents were asked: “In thinking about costs of living in 2022, how worried are you about your household’s ability to pay for: Essential food products/Housing costs, i.e. rent or mortgage payments/Home energy costs, i.e. utility bills such as electricity and gas/Fuel for your personal vehicle (if you drive)/Public transportation costs, e.g. bus, trams, metros and trains (if you take public transit)/Rising costs of paying off/paying down debt/Cost of childcare or schooling (if relevant)”. Respondents could choose between: “Not at all concerned”; “Not so concerned”; “Somewhat concerned”; “Very concerned”; “Can’t choose”. Data present the share of respondents who indicated “somewhat concerned” or “very concerned”. RTM data include respondents aged 18‑64.
