Soaring gas and petrol prices, higher council tax and bigger supermarket bills are the recurring themes among comments posted on Times Online by people responding to our interactive survey about the state of the economy.

Nearly 2,500 people contributed to the survey and many took up the invitation to add their comments about what most worried them.

Antoine Lanquetin, from West Yorkshire, wrote: “The unbridled rise in energy and fuel costs coupled with ever-increasing food prices means that effectively my spending power must be at least 15-20 per cent less than it was 18 months ago.”

One woman from Shropshire said that she had resorted to growing her own vegetables as a result of rising costs: “The price of everyday items — food, petrol, utilities — has shot up. Here in the countryside we have little or no public transport, therefore no choice but to own and run a car, and have to travel long distances to poorly paid work. House prices are eight times the average local wage but there is no provision of affordable housing for anyone except those on benefits.”

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Raymond McKeague, from Fermanagh, commented wryly: “It’s getting to the stage where my tank of heating oil will soon be worth more than my car”, while a man from Devon wrote: “When it costs nearly as much to fill your car as a pensioner gets a week to live on, that’s worrying.”

Those on fixed incomes, particularly pensioners, said that they were struggling to cope with the rising cost of essential items such as bread and eggs.

Others were worried about the housing market. While some respondents feared a house price crash and negative equity, others said that continued high property prices combined with tougher mortgage conditions had put their dreams of owning a home on hold.

One woman from Bristol wrote: “I think there is a split between those who have made money in property, paid off their mortgages, and those of us who are faced with paying off student loans while trying to raise vast amounts of money to buy ourselves somewhere to live. I am a lawyer earning good money, yet I can’t afford to buy somewhere to live — has there ever been a point in history where this would be the case?”

Another woman wrote: “I am unable, even though I’m in full-time employment, to buy a shared ownership property or have a holiday. It is almost a hand-to-mouth existence. I have never felt so badly off.”

Several respondents expressed concern at growing competition from overseas, particularly the East, that made them fear for their jobs. “I am a software engineer,” wrote a Wiltshire man. “I am competing with engineers in China and India. These are high quality jobs that we are losing in the UK. The end result is higher salaries in China and lower salaries here.”

Another respondent in East Anglia wrote: “Large companies are replacing well-paid jobs with temporary low paid agency staff, outsourcing, or offshoring — and there is no effective union or employment protection legislation to stop them. And then they wonder why consumers do not have the money to buy their products?”

Not everyone was pessimistic. Alistair Leathwood, from Buckinghamshire, argued that pessimism could be the problem. “I think we are in danger of talking ourselves into a recession/downturn,” he wrote. “The media need stories to be exciting because we, the readers, demand it. Smile! It’s all going to be all right!”

What they said

"Food prices increasing rapidly
Petrol prices too
Wages stationary
Savings dwindling
Pension fund losing value
House price dipping
Need any more?"

"I’m paying so much tax the pips are squeaking, yet this lot in government want ever more."

"My wages went up in January by £28 a month . . . my bills have risen by £75, so yes I am much worse off!"

"Income tax, council tax crippling me. Single income family, elderly wife at home, two children at university. No disposable income whatsoever after all expenditure. Minimal heating. One pint in a pub a year. Last holiday 1998. Car 13 years old. Last restaurant meal 2000."

"Too many under 25s claiming benefits — will they ever contribute to society?"

How the Times Online survey originated:

The Times has a long history of commissioning opinion polls. These are scientifically rigorous, using a carefully selected panel of maybe 1,000 people. At Times Online, we can do things very differently. We can throw out questions to our readers and capture their mood quickly, cheaply and easily. It doesn't have the statistical rigour of an opinion poll, but it's a snapshot of unfiltered opinion and anecdotal. In the United States, many newspaper have taken the process further, using "crowdsourcing" to research and write major news stories. For The Times, this is just the start, so if you have a question you'd like Times readers to answer, e-mail me: tom.whitwell@timesonline.co.uk

Tom Whitwell, Communities Editor, Times Online

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