Perception of adult necessities and how many people lack them

Item Omnibus survey: Items considered Necessary Omnibus survey: Items considered not necessary Main stage survey: Items that respondents don't have, don't want Main stage survey: Items that respondents don't have, can't afford
Beds and bedding for everyone 95 4 0.2 1
Heating to warm living areas of the home 94 5 0.4 1
Damp-free home 93 6 3 6
Visiting friends or family in hospital 92 7 8 3
Two meals a day 91 9 3 1
Medicines prescribed by doctor 90 9 5 1
Refrigerator 89 11 1 0.1
Fresh fruit and vegetables daily 86 13 7 4
Warm, waterproof coat 85 14 2 4
Replace or repair broken electrical goods 85 14 6 12
Visits to friends or family 84 15 3 2
Celebrations on special occasions such as Christmas 83 16 2 2
Money to keep home in a decent state of decoration 82 17 2 14
Visits to school, e.g. sports day 81 17 33 2
Attending weddings, funerals 80 19 3 3
Meat, fish or vegetarian equivalent every other day 79 19 4 3
Insurance of contents of dwelling 79 20 5 8
Hobby or leisure activity 78 20 12 7
Washing machine 76 22 3 1
Collect children from school 75 23 36 2
Telephone 71 28 1 1
Appropriate clothes for job interviews 69 28 13 4
Deep freezer/fridge freezer 68 30 3 2
Carpets in living rooms and bedrooms 67 31 2 3
Regular savings (of £10 per month) for rainy days or retirement 66 32 7 25
Two pairs of all-weather shoes 64 34 4 5
Friends or family round for a meal 64 34 10 6
A small amount of money to spend on self weekly not on family 59 39 3 13
Television 56 43 1 1
Roast joint/vegetarian equivalent once a week 56 41 11 3
Presents for friends/family once a year 56 42 1 3
A holiday away from home once a year not with relatives 55 43 14 18
Replace worn-out furniture 54 43 6 12
Dictionary 53 44 6 5
An outfit for social occasions 51 46 4 4
New, not second-hand, clothes 48 49 4 5
Attending place of worship 42 55 65 1
Car 38 59 12 10
Coach/train fares to visit friends/family quarterly 38 58 49 16
An evening out once a fortnight 37 56 22 15
Dressing gown 34 63 12 6
Having a daily newspaper 30 66 37 4
A meal in a restaurant/pub monthly 26 71 20 18
Microwave oven 23 73 16 3
Tumble dryer 20 75 33 7
Going to the pub once a fortnight 20 76 42 10
Video cassette recorder 19 78 7 2
Holidays abroad once a year 19 77 25 27
CD player 12 84 19 7
Home computer 11 85 42 15
Dishwasher 7 88 57 11
Mobile phone 7 88 48 7
Access to the internet 6 89 54 16
Satellite television 5 90 56 7

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