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Sky Poll: Many People Feel Poorer With More Debt

Most people say their standard of living has got worse or stagnated since 2008 - despite the recovering economy, according to a Sky poll.

More than four in 10 people say they feel worse off (45%), while only 26% believe things have got better.

Twenty-seven percent say their standard of living has stayed the same.

The finding comes as latest GDP figures reveal the UK economy grew by 0.7% during the second quarter of 2015 .

Looking at the last few months, people are also feeling gloomy and just 17% say their standard of living has got better.

A third (31%) say it has got worse, while a half (51%) believe they are treading water and things have stayed the same.

The Sky Data survey interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,532 customers.

It also found the debt burden has become worse for many since the height of the financial crisis in 2008.

Nearly four in 10 people (38%) told Sky their total household debt (including credit cards, mortgages and student loans) increased over the last seven years.

A third (30%) say they owe about the same and 29% believe they owe less.

The recovering economy, which saw 3% growth last year and a predicted 2.4% for 2015, is also failing to impress many people.

Nearly half told Sky they either agree (25%) or strongly agree (21%) that it makes no difference to their living standards.

The common perception that the South of England gobbles up most of the benefits of economic growth was also borne out in the survey.

Eight in 10 (83%) of respondents from the North of England say they either agree or strongly agree the South "gets more than its fair share of the benefits of economic growth".

In Scotland the combined figure is 76%, while in the Midlands and Wales it’s 66%.

Londoners themselves are split as to whether they get more than their fair share (36% agree, 34% disagree) with only those in the rest of the south more likely to disagree (37%) than agree (29%).

:: Sky Data interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,532 Sky customers aged 18+ online 24-27 July 2015. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.