Search results for ‘Publisher:"joseph rowntree foundation"’ Sort:
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UK poverty 2017: a comprehensive analysis of poverty trends and figures
- Author:
- JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 113
- Place of publication:
- York
This report assesses the progress the UK is making in reducing poverty rates and tackling the underlying drivers of poverty, examining how UK poverty has changed over the last 20 years, as well as more recent developments. Nearly a quarter (24%) of the UK’s population lived in poverty 20 years ago. By 2004, this had fallen to one in five (20%) of the population. By 2015/16, the proportion had risen slightly to 22%. However, the overall trend masks large variations in the fortunes of different groups. Over the last 20 years the UK succeeded in reducing poverty significantly among those groups who had traditionally been at most risk – pensioners and some types of families with children. Very little progress was made in reducing poverty among working-age households without children. In more recent years, poverty rates have started to rise again among both pensioners and families with children. The report suggests that solving poverty in the UK will require urgent action in five areas: reform of Universal Credit so people keep more of what they earn and a lifting of the working-age benefits freeze so incomes keep up with prices; reduce the cost of living, particularly housing, for those on low incomes; improve education and skills, especially among children from low-income backgrounds and adults in low-paid work; work with employers and business to create more and better jobs where they are needed, and to offer more opportunities and better pay to people who currently struggle to enter and gain from work – particularly disabled people, those caring for adults or children, and part-time workers; work with communities and service providers to improve health, family relationships and social support to reduce the damage done by poverty and improve prospects. (Edited publisher abstract)
Work and relationships over time in lone-mother families
- Authors:
- Millar Jane, RIDGE Tess
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 39
- Place of publication:
- York
Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with 15 lone-mothers and their children, this research looks at what it means for families to have a lone-mother who is employed, managing work and family life, often on a low income, for long periods of time. For the study, families were interviewed four times over a period of 14 to 15 years. The report focuses on: the experiences of lone mothers trying to sustain work over time; the importance of family relationships in enabling and supporting lone mothers in work; the experience of children in helping their mothers to manage; the transitions for young people when moving away from the parental home and into work; young people’s relationships over time; the importance of state support for the mothers; and the difficulties in finding security over time. Findings from the study highlight the importance of close relationships for families trying to manage work and care; the difficulties for families of developing any security, with low levels of pay making it hard to build up resources; and the additional pressures long term poverty placed on relationships. (Edited publisher abstract)
A minimum income standard for the UK in 2017
- Authors:
- PADLEY Matt, HIRSCH Donald
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 21
- Place of publication:
- York
This is the 2017 update of the Minimum Income Standard for the United Kingdom, based on what members of the public think people need for an acceptable minimum standard of living. The report shows: the incomes different family types require in 2017 to meet the minimum standard; how the cost of a minimum household budget has changed since the last update in 2016; and how the incomes of people on benefits, and of those working on the National Living Wage, compare to what they need according to MIS. The report states that in 2017, single people needed to earn at least £17,900 a year before tax to achieve MIS, and couples with two children at least £20,400 each. It suggests that despite the increase in the minimum wage for over-25s, working full time on the National Living Wage (NLW), many still fall short of MIS. The report concludes that the freezing of benefits in inflationary times is making low-income families systematically worse off, even where their earnings are being lifted by the NLW. (Edited publisher abstract)
How poverty affects people's decision-making processes
- Authors:
- SHEEHY-SKEFFINGTON Jennifer, REA Jessica
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 79
- Place of publication:
- York
This report summarises the most recent evidence on the relationship between socioeconomic status and the psychological, social and cultural processes that underpin decision-making. The studies reviewed present evidence that people living in or near poverty experience a shift in psychological, social and cultural processes that may hinder their ability to make decisions that are beneficial in the long term. Many of the suboptimal decisions and behaviours associated with low-income groups focus on the present (rather than the future), the actual (rather than the hypothetical), those socially close (rather than those socially distant), and the ‘here’ (rather than places far away). Such shifts lead to choices that are not always bad ones, but rather are adaptive to the constrained circumstances of low socio-economic status. By understanding the decision-making of people in poverty as an adaptive shift in underlying processes, policy-makers and others combating poverty can target their efforts in more sensitive, sustainable and ultimately empowering ways. (Edited publisher abstract)
Universal Credit: a Joseph Rowntree Foundation briefing
- Author:
- SCHMUECKER Katie
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 14
- Place of publication:
- York
This briefing looks at the implementation of Universal Credit across the UK and provides recommendations on how the system could be improved. The report generally welcomes the introduction of Universal Credit, which brings together six separate benefits into one integrated payment, but highlights three priorities for action to ensure that Universal Credit is successful in reducing poverty. These are: a reduction in waiting times for Universal Credit, increasing the child element of Universal Credit so it is not limited to the first two children only, and for Universal Credit to provide employment support to help people into work. (Edited publisher abstract)