JERSEY’S “hidden poverty” has been highlighted in new statistics with nearly a quarter of surveyed households unable to afford enough heating over the last 12 months, while further figures show that the cost of living in the Island outstrips that of London.
The recently released Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey also documented a rise in the proportion of families struggling to have a cooked main meal each day.
More than 4,000 households were randomly selected to take part in the survey between May and July, with a 35% response rate.
The research, which is undertaken by Statistics Jersey each year, collected information on a wide range of topics.
This included data about the proportion of households that had “gone without particular items because of a shortage of money over the last 12 months”.
Of this year’s respondents, 15% had not had a cooked main meal each day – an increase from the figure of 13% recorded in 2023.
And 23% had gone without enough heating to keep their home warm.
The report noted that: “Overall, two-fifths (41%) of households went without at least one item in the last 12 months, similar to 2023 (43%) but greater than in 2017 (34%).”
The figures were released shortly before the Catholic social action charity promoting the ‘Jersey Living Wage’ announced that the rate will rise to £15.10 at the start of next year. The Jersey Living Wage, which is 2% more than London, is considered the minimum that Islanders need in order to thrive, and not just survive.
Caritas Jersey, which is licensed by the Living Wage Foundation in the UK to accredit employers in the Island, said the increase was approved this week and will come into effect at the beginning of January.
The rate – currently set at at £14.13 per hour – is separate from the minimum wage, taking into account the cost of living, taxes and the value of benefits available to working people on low incomes.
Caritas Jersey chief executive Patrick Lynch said: “The Jersey Living Wage has never been as important as it is now for so many people with poverty unfortunately still increasing and a continued rise in foodbank usage in our Island.”
His comments come less than two weeks after Salvation Army officer Richard Nunn said that more than 600 households had signed up to the church’s Pantry Store project since it was launched earlier this year.
In April, the community store, which sells subsidised items to provide shopping with “dignity and respect” for struggling Islanders, had been supporting just over 300 households.
And the St Vincent de Paul food bank is providing support to over 640 families, compared to just under 200 families at the beginning of 2022.
Mr Lynch said the increase was “almost exclusively people on low wages – they are not people out of work”.
“Whereas before their salary got them to the end of the month, it no longer does,” he added.
Reacting to the Statistics Jersey figures, Caring Cooks chief executive Yvonne Corbin described the situation as “very sad”, adding that Jersey “is very affluent, but there is hidden poverty here”.
She cited high rents as one of the of the factors that “play a huge part in this”.
“You could have families that are working two or three jobs to make ends meet to pay the high rent and there is very little left for food.”
Caring Cooks operates a “Food or Fuel campaign” aimed at supporting vulnerable families in Jersey during the winter months with the cost of heating and eating.
It has distributed 2,470 vouchers to families in need since the scheme was launched in 2022.
Islanders can donate to the initiative via the Caring Cooks website.
