CANBERRA, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- More than a third of Australian renters have been forced to skip meals in order to afford bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The first thing that really struck me is the absolute scale of the effect of COVID and how it has affected people's lives," Emma Baker, a professor of housing research at the University of Adelaide, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
"More than a third of people were doing things like not being able to pay their bills and skipping meals," said Baker.
The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) on Thursday published the largest survey of renters across Australia, revealing that many were "on the brink of a financial precipice."
Almost 40 percent of 15,000 respondents said they did not have enough money left after paying rent to afford bills, transport and food during the pandemic.
Nearly half reported increased stress and anxiety since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Sixty percent said their employment or income had changed during the pandemic and one-third said they were not sure how they would continue to pay rent as the government phases out the coronavirus wage subsidy payment. Enditem