Three million UK households are being forced to skip meals as consumers resort to drastic measures to deal with rising costs, according to a Which? report published on Thursday.

The conflict in the Middle East and subsequent surge in oil and raw material prices has led to businesses preparing to raise prices, putting more pressure on household finances and hitting consumer confidence.

The Which? consumer insight tracker for the month to 10 April shows a fall in consumer confidence to -62. This is the lowest level since the peak of the cost of living crisis in 2022 and down from -56 the previous month.

Most adults – 71% – believe the UK economy will deteriorate in the next 12 months, with only 9% predicting it will get better. And 85% are now worried about food prices, up from 83% in February.

To manage rising costs, families are compromising on their shopping and eating habits, with 43% buying cheaper products, 37% purchasing more supermarket-branded budget items and 31% buying extra items when on sale.

On top of that, one in 10 UK households are now skipping meals and one in seven are going without some foods.

Apart from rising food costs, eight in 10 of those surveyed are worried about fuel prices, up from one in seven back in February. As a result, more than two-thirds of UK adults are now adjusting their driving habits, resulting in fewer leisure trips and visits to see family and friends.

The Which? survey also found an increasing number of missed bill payments. The average rate of missed payments over the past three months has risen to 7.5%, up from 5.7% at the end of 2025.

“Our latest research highlights the deepening strain not only on household finances, but also on people’s physical and social wellbeing as cost-of-living pressures bite,” said Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy.

“Without meaningful interventions, the number of people taking drastic measures is likely to increase.”

Which? is calling for urgent policy changes, outlined in a manifesto launched in parliament this week that sets out to address costs and widen access to essential items.

“We need to see urgent action, as set in our cost of living manifesto, to address these costs and help restore confidence before even more households are pushed into serious financial difficulty,” Concha said.