Cost of Living 2026: What is it like to live in Scotland as a disabled person?

In 2025, Disability Equality Scotland asked disabled people how the cost of living crisis is impacting their lives. We found that:

• 43% of disabled people said it costs a lot of money to run the independent living equipment they need to survive;
• 55% spend more than 20% of their net income on their energy bills. This means that, as a measure of fuel poverty, these people would be defined as experiencing extreme fuel poverty;
• 27% of disabled people have had to choose between paying their energy bill and using the independent living equipment they need to survive;
• 43% have had to use some or all of their savings to pay their rent or mortgage, reducing their long-term financial stability;
• Due to rising household living costs, 33% of disabled people said they had thought about moving house to reduce their costs.

Since last year, prices in the shops have gone up, the United Kingdom Government has voted to cut health-related Universal Credit, and energy bills continue to rise. Our work last year showed that disabled people face barriers and financial challenges to living independently. We want to find out what has changed over the past 12 months.

We have created five surveys for disabled people to complete. These focus on household finances, housing, work, and education. Disability Equality Scotland has recently carried out Modes of Transport surveys for the Accessible Travel Framework, so we do not want to repeat questions that people have already answered.

Instead, we want to find out about the services people use in their day-to-day lives. We know there are challenges in the National Health Service and other services that disabled people rely on. Our newest cost of living surveys aim to understand what is happening in your local area and what this means for disabled people. We have split these questions into two areas: essential services and discretionary services.

We have a standard version and an Easy Read version of each survey online.

Our surveys can be completed online using the links below:

• Household Finances
• Access to Essential Services
• Housing
• Work and Education
• Local Services and Getting About

We have also produced downloadable Easy Read versions of the surveys. These can be downloaded, completed offline, and sent back to us. This helps ensure as many people as possible can take part.

• Household Finances – Easy Read
• Essential Services – Easy Read
• Housing – Easy Read
• Work and Education – Easy Read
• Local Services and Getting About – Easy Read

Please complete our cost of living surveys by Friday 13 March.