UK polls put cost of living first

British politics has swung back to money. Not abstract “the economy” money — bills, food, rent, fuel, and whether a household can absorb one nasty surprise. Fresh polling in spring 2026 shows that cost of living has overtaken immigration in at least some of the main UK trackers, after months when migration had dominated the political conversation. The shift matters because it changes what voters are actually asking for — and exposes a gap between what people worry about and what they think parties care about. (yougov.com) ### What changed in the polls? The clearest change came in YouGov’s late-March research. Cost of living was named by 53% of Britons as one of the most important issues facing the country, making it the top answer. Immigration was lower, on 39%, with the NHS on 42% and the(yougov.com)v’s long-running tracker. (yougov.com) ### Is every poll saying the same thing? Not quite — and that’s important. Ipsos’s April 2026 Issues Index still had the economy on 33%, immigration on 32%, and inflation/prices on 30% when people were asked the open-ended “important issues” question. So the exact league (yougov.com)near the top, not sitting behind immigration anymore. (ipsos.com) ### Why are money worries biting again? Because people are feeling price pressure directly. The ONS found that 67% of adults said their cost of living had increased compared with a month earlier in March 2026, up from 56% in February. Food was the main reason — 91% of thos(ipsos.com)earlier. Basically, this is not a vibes-only story. People are noticing the squeeze in real time. (ons.gov.uk) ### How bad does it feel at household level? Bad enough that resilience looks thin. The ONS said 23% of adults would be unable to pay an unexpected but necessary £850 expense. It also found that 3% had run out of food in the prior two weeks and could not affo(ons.gov.uk)om a generic economy question — it points to everyday fragility, not just GDP headlines. (ons.gov.uk) ### So why does immigration still loom so large? Because it remains highly salient, especially in open-ended polling and among older and Reform-leaning voters. Ipsos had immigration just one point behind the economy in April. YouGov’s broader pre-election wri(ons.gov.uk) less a collapse in immigration concern than a rebound in financial anxiety. (ipsos.com) ### What’s the political problem for Labour? Voters do not think parties are treating the issue with the same urgency they feel. In YouGov’s March poll, only 15% thought Labour saw cost of living as a top national issue, and just 10% said the government was handling it wel(ipsos.com)That is the catch — being in office means you own the squeeze unless people feel relief. (yougov.com) ### What does this mean for campaigns? It means migration messages may still mobilize attention, but they do not erase the grocery bill. Parties heading into the 2026 elections are dealing with a public that still cares about borders, but is increasingly judging politics (yougov.com) just loud on identity and control. (yougov.com) ### Bottom line? The UK’s political agenda has tilted back toward the kitchen table. Immigration has not gone away. But when prices jump and savings look thin, cost of living stops being one issue among many and becomes the lens through which voters judge everything else. (yougov.com)