To wonder how people haven't heard about the energy increase?

[latetothefisting]

www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/most-think-bills-going-up-7468375

That's a local news site reporting but the research is national.
Apparently only 8% of people knew roughly how much the energy price increase is estimated at, with 12% actually thinking it would decrease, and a quarter not knowing anything about it!

Also on a fb bargain group I'm on, a post today asking if other people knew about the £400 being awarded to every household to go towards the increases - 400 comments and counting, mainly of other people who also weren't aware of this.

Aibu to be surprised given that this has been constantly over the news for the last 2 months at least. I'm pretty sure all my family and friends are aware as it's come up in conversation briefly (we try to have more interesting conversations tbh but cost of living obviously comes up!), and it seems like there's been a few thousand threads on the topic on here and on various other social media sites.

I was always shocked when they do the surveys saying x amount of people don't know who the prime minister is - and the low results on pointless for what you'd think would be very very well known answers - seriously how do people - and not just a small minority but a huge percentage of the population (ok if you couldnt guess at how much the increase is predicted to be because it is confusing and variable depending on your tariff and usage-but nearly a third not knowing prices are going to increase at all) manage to miss this stuff?

I know nobody knows everything and everyone has gaps in their knowledge but some stuff i just dont understand HOW you can miss! Surely it would take more effort to actively avoid some knowledge than to learn it!

I think there's been loads of mixed messages, the caps and increases keep changing and the 'support' on offer has been over-complicated.

People are confused and fed up and therefore switch off.

It's a shame, but it doesn't surprise me. There are many complaints about politicians being out of touch, yet this survey reveals that accusation should be directed at 92% of the population.

I wonder if the 12% thinking prices would decrease are confusing energy with petrol, and if the 25% who didn't know anything don't pay energy bills.

It reminds me of the WASPI protesters who somehow didn't know about pension age changes.

I think the 'price cap' has been very poorly explained to the extent that people don't understand what it means at all. A lot of people don't seem to understand it's the unit prices that are capped, not their direct debits, and that the annual increase figures in the headlines are just an estimate based on typical use, and likely to be very different for each family. I wish they would stop using those figures entirely.

I've also seen on here people still on fixed tariffs from 18 months or so ago smugly telling people on here they can't imagine how their energy bill is so high, apparently totally oblivious to how it all works.

It is worrying.

I do agree that the way the media reports on it has been confusing and that a worrying amount of people don't understand that their dd amount isn't the exact amount they use, BUT would say that there are also a lot of free resources out there that explain it much better if anyone was confused - and still no excuse in my opinion for not realising there was an increase, even if you are confused about how much it will actually be for you.

The fb thread I referenced earlier is now on a thousand plus replies....with people asking why "they" are putting up "their" prices then giving a monthly rebate, and not just lowering prices, with no concept that the "they" are 2 different bodies (the utility company and the government).