“It will be an exciting winter for many households,” says researcher at Trendbureau Drenthe Erik Meij at the table of the TV Drenthe program De Staat van Drenthe. The healthcare premium, groceries, fuel and the energy bill: everything is more expensive and everyone feels it in the wallet.
Compensations from the government are in the works, but will it be on time? Can Jan Modaal still make ends meet?
That depends on the winter, says Meij. For example, he conducted research into poverty in Drenthe and the effects of the high energy bill on the Drenthe for the Trendbureau Drenthe. He sees that the group that is having a hard time is getting bigger. “What is unique about these rising energy prices is that it is not only the ‘usual suspects’ who are now having a hard time.”
The ‘usual suspects’ are people on social assistance benefits who are always financially vulnerable to setbacks. “But the increasingly expensive life is now also affecting households that we expect to be less vulnerable or not vulnerable at all,” says Meij. Meij refers to the middle incomes.
In a dark scenario, ie the harsh winter, Meij expects that some 33,000 households in Drenthe will run into financial problems. There is no certainty, because many factors are involved. “Think of the ratio of income, energy costs, but also the insulation value of a house.”