Citizens Advice was founded in September 1939, as war was declared in Europe. As we recover from a global pandemic that has been described as the world’s greatest test since World War II, its role remains as crucial now as it was then.
In the first year of the pandemic, Citizens Advice advisors provided 18 people a minute with personalised, free and independent advice. Its online advice
was viewed 62.8 million times and its service transformed overnight as lockdowns prevented seeing people face-to-face. This was a transformation made possible by the dedication of Citizens Advice staff and volunteers, and the progress previously made towards providing more advice over the phone and online in recent years.
The data collected by Citizens Advice during this period provides a unique insight into the problems people have faced over the past year, and the way the pandemic has affected their lives. The ‘Life through Lockdown’ report gives a snapshot of some of those insights – and points the way towards what might come next.