Single adults need income of £31,536 to cover essential outgoings study says

Adults living alone believe they need an annual income of at least £31,536 to cover their outgoings and still afford essentials such as food, clothes and hygiene products.

But with the UK’s average salary of £29,669 somewhat short of this, many feel they are being pushed ever closer to hygiene poverty.

The scale of the current cost of living crisis has been illustrated after a survey of 2,000 adults found one in four people living alone are struggling with the current financial crisis.

As a result, 56 per cent of those have had to make difficult decisions, such as whether to pay their rent over buying food or hygiene items.

And 52 per cent of that same demographic have had to stop socialising, while 14 per cent have even gone without everyday items like toilet roll or period products.

The research was commissioned by hygiene and health company Essity, in partnership with Unilever, Haleon, Kimberly Clark and Edgewell, to launch a Tesco in-store promotion throughout April and May, where customers buy two products and a hygiene product will be donated to charity In Kind Direct.

Rosanne Gray, CEO of In Kind Direct, said: ''Many people experiencing hygiene poverty face the impossible decision to heat, eat or keep clean on a daily basis, and unfortunately more and more people are being pushed into this position.

“We know hygiene poverty disproportionately affects those already struggling, but the research shows that financial difficulties are now impacting everyone.”