Updating ‘stockpiling as resilience’ in the context of the cost-of-living crisis: tracking changes in resilience strategies in the U.K

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using the seven resilience strategies identified in the previous paper entitled “Stockpiling as Resilience,” this study offers an update on the previous study 1 year later with interviews with the same households. The first paper was the result of interviews with 19 households held between April and May 2020 across the UK, and explored how these households managed lack of access to food during the COVID-19 lockdowns. This paper presents the same participants’ experiences following the UK lockdowns in the context of the sharp rise in the cost-of-living in the UK Taken together, both phases of interviews bring into clear relief the influences affecting the UK food system, one characterized by increasing inaccessibility of food. This follow-up paper establishes that four of seven resilience strategies are still actively used, whereas three have become unnecessary. Two further themes are made salient in the interview data: weight management and convenience. Overall, this paper acts as a preliminary investigation into strategies that households are likely to utilize in the coming months and years in the context of the cost-of-living crisis.