Britons back grocery price caps but suspect they will simply pay elsewhere
New nationally representative research from The Harris Poll UK, a Stagwell Company finds 73% of UK adults support the principle of government price caps on essential groceries, while 74% believe retailers would raise prices on other products to compensate
A majority of UK adults support the idea of capping prices on essential groceries, but new research suggests public backing is matched by deep concern about the consequences.
A nationally representative survey of 1,000 UK adults found that 73% support the principle of a government price cap on essential groceries, while 68% believe it could make a real difference to households struggling with the cost of living.
However, support weakens when consumers consider how a cap would work in practice. Nearly three-quarters, 74%, believe shoppers would still end up paying elsewhere, with retailers raising prices on other products to make up the difference.
The research also found that:
57% believe a government-mandated price cap could have unintended consequences, including reduced availability, lower quality or less competition
47% think farmers and food suppliers would be financially squeezed
42% are concerned about the impact on smaller or more vulnerable suppliers
37% think product quality could fall
34% believe product availability could be affected
Just 8% selected “none of these”, suggesting few consumers see grocery price caps as a risk-free solution
Consumers are also sceptical about whether government could manage a price cap effectively. 61% agree that the government does not have the skills or resources to oversee such a policy.
Despite these concerns, 62% still say a grocery price cap would be workable, highlighting the gap between public appetite for intervention and concern about the trade-offs.
Steve Brockway, Chief Research Officer at The Harris Poll UK, said: “Consumers appreciate action on food prices as it taps into very real cost of living issues, so grocery price caps are clearly attractive at first glance. But the public are also wide eyed to the trade-offs.
People understand that prices do not exist in isolation. If costs are capped in one place, they expect pressure to show up somewhere else, whether through higher prices on other products, squeezed suppliers, reduced choice or lower quality.
That is the challenge for policymakers and retailers. Consumers want help with food bills, but they do not want a policy that simply moves the cost around the system.”
The findings suggest that grocery price caps may have strong public appeal, but only if consumers believe they can be delivered without damaging supply chains, reducing choice or shifting costs onto other products.
ENDS
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Notes to editors: Research conducted among 1,000 nationally representative UK consumers via an online panel.
About The Harris Poll UK: The Harris Poll UK, a Stagwell company, is a leading market research and strategy consultancy helping the most recognisable organisations understand what matters most to their customers. Combining advanced digital research, behavioural science and proprietary real-time technology, we deliver insight at scale, analysing over one million surveys and 40,000 emotion data points each month.
From bespoke consultancy to continuous brand measurement, we help organisations understand how their brand is performing, where it stands against competitors and where it needs to go next in a fast-moving consumer landscape. By uncovering emotional drivers, unmet needs and emerging consumer trends, we support confident decision-making and help turn insight into meaningful competitive advantage.
