Closing post
Time to wrap up.. here are today’s main stories:
Goodnight. GW
People with children and renters are more likely to have seen their spending on utility bills increase while working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, official figures released this morning suggest.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said almost half of people who worked from home had spent less than they would have normally, with reduced costs for travel and food offset by an increase in spending on gas, electricity and internet access.
However, it said the change in spending patterns was more pronounced for some people in the survey of more than 3,000 adults in Great Britain undertaken by government statisticians last month.
As many as 92% of people working from home who live in rented accommodation reported increased spending on utilities, compared with 86% for home workers who were paying a mortgage and 77% for those who owned their homes outright.
Here’s an ONS twitter thread with the key points too:
We’ve published new analysis on homeworking and spending during the #coronavirus pandemic.
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) February 14, 2022
36% of working adults said they worked from home at least once in the last seven days because of #COVID19 between 19 and 30 Jan 2022 https://t.co/sN95lVikH7 pic.twitter.com/dzUh8Wa50n
46% of these homeworkers said they spent less as a result of homeworking because of #COVID19.
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) February 14, 2022
A similar proportion of homeworkers reported spending less when asked in Nov 2021 (49%). pic.twitter.com/FsnooKQG49
The area where homeworkers most commonly saw spending increase was utility bills (86% said their spending had risen).
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) February 14, 2022
In contrast:
🚘 50% reported spending less on fuel and parking for commuting
🚌 40% reported spending less on commuting using public transport. pic.twitter.com/GzG6L48ysl
Around 9 in 10 homeworkers who live in rented housing (92%) reported increased spending on utilities, compared with
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) February 14, 2022
🏠 86% of those who are currently paying a mortgage
🏠 77% of homeworkers who own their home outright. pic.twitter.com/4k6Scz8VyZ
