MORE than a third of Scottish workers who run out of money before pay day have gone without food for their household at least once over the last year, according to new figures published today by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS).
Polling for CAS by YouGov shows that 47% of Scottish people in work run out of money before pay day at least once in the last year.
The new figures show that 35% of those workers have had to go without food for their household at least once over the last year as a result of the money shortages.
Some 5% of workers even go without food more than six times per year, just to make ends meet between months.
The YouGov survey questioned 2078 adults, of which 983 are Scottish workers. Of those, 458 have run out of money before pay day. The survey was carried out online and is representative of all Scottish adults. The research has been published ahead of the expected announcement from the Scottish Government for an income supplement later this week.
CAS is encouraging people to claim the benefits they are entitled to, citing previous research showing people in Scotland do not believe the strivers and skivers narrative around benefits, and strongly support the welfare state.
Previous polling by YouGov for CAS released earlier this year shows that over three-quarters of people in Scotland believe workers who have to claim benefits work hard but their wages are not sufficient to cover living costs.
Among respondents, 59% said they believe workers claim benefits because they need extra funds to help care for themselves or family members, with the money going towards childcare costs or filling gaps caused by illness.
The polling also found that three-quarters of respondents either strongly agree or tend to agree that people who are in work and receive benefits work just as hard as everyone else, and almost 70% of people agree that there should be more help for people to claim what they are entitled to.
Some 25% of those polled said they would like to save for a pension but cannot afford to, while almost one in four (23%) said they would like to have the recommended level of dental treatment but are not able to spare the cash.
Respondents were asked how it made them feel when they had to rely on credit or their overdraft before their next pay cheque, with 71% saying it left them “stressed” and 42% saying “embarrassed”.
Earlier this year, The Trussell Trust reported that foodbank use in Scotland has risen to a record high. The trust said issues with the flagship UK Government welfare reform, Universal Credit, were a “key driver” of increasing food poverty.
Laura Ferguson, the Scotland Operations Manager for the Trussell Trust Scotland, cited a 200% increase in foodbank use in Scotland over five years, describing it as “not right”.
CEO of CAS, Derek Mitchell, said: “A rising cost of living, changes to social security and a prevalence of low pay, insecure work means that Scotland is facing unacceptable levels of poverty.
“The Scottish Citizen Advice Bureaux network helps and advocates on behalf of hundreds of thousands of people each year. Our network means we have a footprint in every community in Scotland and we are seeing too many people really struggling, even people in work.
“The research data we publish today exposes the extent of that problem. Nearly half of Scottish workers occasionally run out of money before payday, and one-third of those who do have had to go without food as a result. This of course doesn’t include those who are not in work, whose income is may be even less.
“This is an unacceptable situation, and it is clear that serious solutions are required. We hope to see progress on the income supplement this week as well as the right to food being enshrined in Scots law through the Good Food Nation Bill this parliament.
“In the meantime, people need to know their local Citizens Advice Bureau is there to help, we can ensure people are getting the social security payments they are entitled to as well as check if they could be paying lower bills for utilities and council tax.”
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