New research highlights appliance poverty in the UK

New research released today has found that 1.2 million people in the UK live in appliance poverty.

An estimated 480,000 households, or 1.2 million people, in the UK are in appliance poverty; they are living without a washing machine or fridge/freezer, or both – appliances that many of us take for granted. Of these, 53,000 households, or 130,000 people, are living without both a washing machine and a fridge/freezer. This includes the RAF Family, with the Fund seeing a 53% increase in enquiries for white & brown goods in the last year.

Using HM Treasury guidance to calculate wellbeing in monetary terms, these results suggest the monetary value of wellbeing improvements arising from gaining large essential appliances in the home could be as much as £6.7 billion.

Here at the RAF Benevolent Fund, we know that all too often, people living in poverty, including the RAF Community, find their existing economic distress is exacerbated by not having the appliances and equipment needed to live a healthy, hygienic, safe and comfortable everyday life. The RAF Benevolent Fund is here to support the RAF Family – if you are struggling, click here or speak with our Welfare team on 0300 102 1919.

The Fund co-commissioned the research, alongside nine of our peer grant makers, the Association of Charitable Organisations and Fusion21, and it was completed by respected economic analysts Pro Bono Economics.

You can read the full analytic report here.