Up to 18 percent of men and 23 percent of women have had to cut back on these necessities, which corresponds to almost one million adults living in Finland, the institute said in a press release published on Thursday.
A quarter of the working-age population (20-64 years old) reported that they had to cut spending on food, medicines or doctor's visits in the last 12 months.
Meanwhile, struggling to make a living is most common among the younger age groups. Twenty-six percent of men and 33 percent of women aged 20-39 said they had to spend less on food, medicine or doctor's visits due to lack of money.
"One explanation for the weaker situation of young adults can be their more uncertain situation in the labor market," said Laura Kestila, a researcher at THL. She added that life situations often change quickly, and young people may not have adequate financial buffers to cope with the impact of various crises and unexpected expenses.
Difficulties in making a living have increased in all age groups, THL said, more notably for women than for men.
Kestila attributed the difficulties mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine crisis and rising prices.
"These results do not yet fully reflect the impact of the increase in loan interest rates, which has likely made the situation even more challenging," she added.
Kestila told the Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Thursday that the results of cutting spending on basic necessities are deeply concerning.
"If such a negative development continues, it will undoubtedly be bad for the health and well-being of the population in the longer term as well," she warned.
The Healthy Finland Survey on livelihoods was carried out in autumn 2022 and spring 2023. The survey was answered by a total of 28,000 people over the age of 20 living in Finland.
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