Most countries were affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It pushed millions into poverty. Both Russia and Ukraine are major global suppliers of important cereal crops, and Russia supplies 40% of Europe’s gas.
The effect of the cost of living crisis on mental health has been considerable. Many are struggling financially and this is causing mental issues including:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Suicide — see our blog ‘The Cost of Living Crisis and Suicide’.
Governments around the world helped their citizens to cope with the cost of living crisis by providing support, financial assistance and/or advice:
- UK — The UK government helped with the cost of living through ‘Help for Households’.
- Ireland — Irish citizens were able to use the Irish government’s new cost of living measures.
- Canada — The Canadian government provided support through legislation titled ‘Making Life More Affordable’.
- Australia — Australia announced a cost of living relief in their 2022–23 budget.
- New Zealand — The government of New Zealand gave a payment to eligible citizens to help with the rising costs of inflation. It was an automatic payment so there was no need to apply. See ‘Cost of Living Payment’ for more information.
- USA — For the past few years the United States’ government has been providing support to their citizens to help with inflation and rising bills. You can find out more information from the White House issue brief ‘The Cost of Living in America: Helping Families Move Ahead’.
The next blog in this series examines the different ways that coping with the rising cost of living affects each one of us daily.