Life in the UK didn’t improve last year reveals 7000-person study

The lives of people in the UK failed to improve in the last year, according to a new report from Carnegie UK based on their annual survey of over 7,000 people.

Published a month ahead of the autumn Budget, the policy foundation’s report shows that households are finding it a little more affordable to keep their homes warm enough than they did in 2023 or 2024.

But the study shows that economic hardship has not eased for millions, especially those living in social housing; families with three or more children; and people on low incomes.

Carnegie UK’s chief executive Sarah Davidson has called on ministers to take action to improve the lives of those left behind by successive governments.

The Life in the UK Index is designed to measure the collective wellbeing of the nation through a 26-question Ipsos survey across social, economic, environmental and democratic themes. The headline index score – designed to measure the wellbeing of people in the country – shows no significant change between this year, last year and 2023.

Sarah Davidson, chief executive of Carnegie UK, said: “Our index shows that between May 2024 and May 2025, the average person in the UK saw no meaningful improvement in their life. Public services and systems are barely working for too many households, and our research shows that poorer people, larger families and people in social housing are still getting left behind.

“A month ahead of the budget, there’s an opportunity for the Chancellor to invest in closing this gap. It’s unacceptable that so many people’s wellbeing still rests on issues such as their income, housing, disability, and the place where they live. Our survey highlights what life is really like for people living in the UK in 2025 and it should now be the mission of government to take bolder and more joined-up action to make life better.”

Carnegie UK warns that there are large economic wellbeing gaps between different groups in society that aren’t closing. The paper states “while some individuals report greater financial stability and improved living conditions, others remain at risk of exclusion and hardship.”

The research shows 79% of UK adults can afford to keep their home adequately warm in 2025, up two percentage points from 2024 and six percentage points from 2023.

The report finds declining satisfaction with local job opportunities; widespread experience of problems with pollution and littering in local neighbourhoods; but a small improvement in the average person’s mental and physical health. The research also reveals an increase in trust in the UK Government compared to the same study in 2024 but warns that most people still feel like they have no influence over the decisions that affect their lives.

For a third year, Carnegie UK’s research also shows a widespread lack of trust in politics and government with almost three quarters of UK adults (72%) reporting that they do not feel they can’t influence decisions affecting the UK.

Just over half of adults (54%) had medium or high trust in the UK Government in 2025, up nine percentage points from 2024.