Essential Report
Concern about household expenses
Q. How concerned or unconcerned are you about the current costs of each specific expense for your household?
Total concern-ed | Total not concern-ed | Very concern-ed | Not at all concern-ed | Don’t know | House-hold does not have this expense | Total concern-ed July 2014 | Very concern-ed July 2014 | |||
Electricity | 72% | 25% | 34% | 7% | 2% | 1% | 80% | 49% | ||
Health or medical (includes health insurance) | 67% | 24% | 31% | 6% | 3% | 5% | 76% | 42% | ||
Food and groceries | 65% | 33% | 25% | 8% | 2% | * | 70% | 29% | ||
Transport (petrol, car, public transport) | 60% | 36% | 22% | 8% | 2% | 1% | 74% | 35% | ||
Water | 52% | 40% | 18% | 10% | 3% | 6% | 63% | 29% | ||
Mortgage or rent | 48% | 32% | 21% | 12% | 3% | 17% | 53% | 26% | ||
Home insurance | 48% | 37% | 18% | 8% | 4% | 10% | 61% | 27% | ||
Gas | 43% | 32% | 16% | 9% | 2% | 22% | 54% | 27% | ||
Internet | 42% | 54% | 12% | 14% | 2% | 1% | 47% | 19% | ||
Telephone | 39% | 56% | 12% | 16% | 3% | 2% | 51% | 20% | ||
Education | 38% | 35% | 17% | 12% | 2% | 25% | 51% | 26% |
The household expenses of most concern were electricity (72% concerned), health or medical (67%), food and groceries (65%) and transport (60%).
Since this question was asked in July last year, levels of concern about household expenses has dropped for all items. However, there has been little change in the ranking of issues of concern.

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