"But what was so revealing about Wednesday's focus group was that they were all in what we would normally see as relatively high-paid jobs, they owned their own homes not the type of voter you'd normally think of as struggling. As Martin, a product manager in the automotive industry, put it, on paper, we should be feeling really well-off. Instead, they described a sense that a good wage and savings no longer guarantee financial security."
"Annette, an executive assistant, said she felt the goalposts seem to move all the time, that doing the right thing, being sensible was not enough. Many described a feeling that retirement felt far away, while some felt trapped in a double squeeze, where we're supporting our adult parents, while our kids are 30 and still living at home. Aldershot is an archetypal blue wall seat and, until fairly recently, a Tory stronghold."
Residents in Aldershot describe a pervasive sense that economic conditions are stacked against them. A record 57% of Britons say they are unsure the cost of living crisis will ever end. Many in relatively high-paid jobs and homeownership report that good wages and savings no longer guarantee financial security. Households face rising childcare costs, shifting financial goalposts, delayed retirement expectations, and a 'double squeeze' supporting both adult children and aging parents. Political allegiance changed toward Labour seeking change, but significant disillusionment has emerged within 18 months, with some reporting lost faith in government.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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