Over a third of parents have admitted they have had to cut back on heating costs over the past six months due to inflation, a new report has said.
With some even going without heat altogether, a survey of 315 parents revealed to children’s charity Barnardos that the cost of living crisis has affected how they heat their homes.
73% of parents in the survey said that cost-of-living crisis has negatively affected their children and 17% said it had affected them “significantly”.
The same survey found that 37% of parents said they were forced to go without or cut down on heating, while 23% cut down of electricity and 20% cut back on food over the last six months.
28% of parents responded to say they had cut back on or gone without medical care, medicines, therapy or health assessments in the last six months.
The survey was carried out by Amarach Research and also found that two thirds of parents (57%) said they had cut back on, or gone without, social activities or entertainment when it came to their children.
70% added that they sometimes or always worried about not being able to provide their children over the basic essentials.
Chief executive of Barnardos Suzanne Connolly noted that this was “unacceptable” for children to go without these necessities due to the cost-of-living crisis and are being “pulled into deprivation”.
“All children across Ireland are entitled to a standard of living that supports their emotional, social and physical development,” she said.
“Although some measures introduced over the past year have helped, it is clear from parents interviewed that they don’t feel the measures have gone far enough.”
