This report presents the findings of a poll of people in Scotland's exploring their experiences of the current cost of living crisis. Our research sought insight into: people's level of income, debt and savings; the things people have done to cut back as a result of the crisis; the things that people have done to try to increase their incomes to deal with the crisis; the impact that the crisis has had on their health, family, social and work lives; households' ability to deal with unexpected costs and their general feelings of financial security; whether people thought that governments and businesses were doing enough to help in light of the crisis. The findings show that around one-third of all people have either no savings or under £250. This rises to nearly two-thirds for households who are unemployed and 70% for single parents. Going without essentials is endemic - nearly two in three (65%) have cut back on an essential, while one in four (26%) have cut back on three or more essentials. Even the basics are hard to come by, with three in four households having already cut back on the basics. The cost of living crisis is having a deleterious impact on people’s mental health in particular. Some of the key household types that reported a negative impact on their mental health due to the cost of living crisis were: three in four families with a child where someone has a disability (74%); seven in ten single-parent families (69%); four in five families with a baby.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report presents the findings of a poll of people in Scotland's exploring their experiences of the current cost of living crisis. Our research sought insight into: people's level of income, debt and savings; the things people have done to cut back as a result of the crisis; the things that people have done to try to increase their incomes to deal with the crisis; the impact that the crisis has had on their health, family, social and work lives; households' ability to deal with unexpected costs and their general feelings of financial security; whether people thought that governments and businesses were doing enough to help in light of the crisis. The findings show that around one-third of all people have either no savings or under £250. This rises to nearly two-thirds for households who are unemployed and 70% for single parents. Going without essentials is endemic - nearly two in three (65%) have cut back on an essential, while one in four (26%) have cut back on three or more essentials. Even the basics are hard to come by, with three in four households having already cut back on the basics. The cost of living crisis is having a deleterious impact on people’s mental health in particular. Some of the key household types that reported a negative impact on their mental health due to the cost of living crisis were: three in four families with a child where someone has a disability (74%); seven in ten single-parent families (69%); four in five families with a baby.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
poverty, low income, cost of living, socioeconomic groups, user views, surveys;
This annual update sets out a vision of the living standards that, as a society, we agree that everyone in the UK should be able to achieve. In 2022, we have recalculated from scratch the minimum budgets for pensioner and working-age households without children, and reviewed and uprated the budgets for households with children. A single person needs to earn £25,500 a year to reach a minimum acceptable standard of living in April 2022. A couple with two children needs to earn £43,400 between them. The increase in what is needed for a minimum living standard over the past year is in part a consequence of the rapidly rising cost of many goods and services, such as domestic fuel, which have substantially increased what is required to reach MIS. Part of the increase is also due to changes in the specification of what is needed for a minimum living standard. The budgets reflect changes in society and emphasise the crucial importance, across all age groups, of activities outside the home for social participation, which cost more than before. The cost of living support payments aimed at supporting households likely to be most affected by rising costs is welcome, but it does not solve more entrenched problems within the social security system. Even with the cost-of-living support payments, a couple with two children, on out of work benefits, only have just over half (52%) of what they need for a minimum standard of living. Working households can get closer to reaching MIS, but the support payments do little to address the cost-of-living challenge. A couple with two children and one parent working full-time on the National Living Wage, the other not working, reach 76% of MIS without the cost-of-living support payments; the same family only reach 79% of MIS with the payments.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This annual update sets out a vision of the living standards that, as a society, we agree that everyone in the UK should be able to achieve. In 2022, we have recalculated from scratch the minimum budgets for pensioner and working-age households without children, and reviewed and uprated the budgets for households with children. A single person needs to earn £25,500 a year to reach a minimum acceptable standard of living in April 2022. A couple with two children needs to earn £43,400 between them. The increase in what is needed for a minimum living standard over the past year is in part a consequence of the rapidly rising cost of many goods and services, such as domestic fuel, which have substantially increased what is required to reach MIS. Part of the increase is also due to changes in the specification of what is needed for a minimum living standard. The budgets reflect changes in society and emphasise the crucial importance, across all age groups, of activities outside the home for social participation, which cost more than before. The cost of living support payments aimed at supporting households likely to be most affected by rising costs is welcome, but it does not solve more entrenched problems within the social security system. Even with the cost-of-living support payments, a couple with two children, on out of work benefits, only have just over half (52%) of what they need for a minimum standard of living. Working households can get closer to reaching MIS, but the support payments do little to address the cost-of-living challenge. A couple with two children and one parent working full-time on the National Living Wage, the other not working, reach 76% of MIS without the cost-of-living support payments; the same family only reach 79% of MIS with the payments.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
living wage, low income, minimum wage, cost of living, poverty, standard of living;
This report draws on a longitudinal study which followed a set of families on low incomes and their experiences of making ends meet over six years before and during the pandemic. It is based on interviews with parents in 13 families in November and December 2021, focusing on how families managed as the pandemic extended into a second year. It also considers the continuing implications and pressures of managing on a low income in a changing world as the pandemic eases (and state responses to mitigate the financial impact are rolled back), but the cost of living crisis emerges. The Covid crisis added another complication to the lives of those already dealing with multiple stressors. The post-pandemic world will bring ongoing and new challenges, as well as opportunities, in changing times. The uncertainty and instability faced by families with unpredictable income from work and benefits is now being exacerbated by the cost of living crisis which is predicted to have severe consequences for families already struggling to make ends meet. To address this growing crisis, action is required on a wide range of fronts. Families need: a state safety net that provides adequate and reliable financial support, at least rising with inflation; employment laws supporting access to secure, adequately paid employment, allowing people control over hours to fit in with family life; statutory sick pay paid from the first day of sickness, rather than the fourth; public services, including the benefits system, mental health and other GP services that are easier to access with better information and easier channels of communication; measures to help families achieve full digital access; greater efforts by policymakers to connect and engage with people like those in this study who can feel overlooked, with further action to ensure people's concerns are heard and addressed.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report draws on a longitudinal study which followed a set of families on low incomes and their experiences of making ends meet over six years before and during the pandemic. It is based on interviews with parents in 13 families in November and December 2021, focusing on how families managed as the pandemic extended into a second year. It also considers the continuing implications and pressures of managing on a low income in a changing world as the pandemic eases (and state responses to mitigate the financial impact are rolled back), but the cost of living crisis emerges. The Covid crisis added another complication to the lives of those already dealing with multiple stressors. The post-pandemic world will bring ongoing and new challenges, as well as opportunities, in changing times. The uncertainty and instability faced by families with unpredictable income from work and benefits is now being exacerbated by the cost of living crisis which is predicted to have severe consequences for families already struggling to make ends meet. To address this growing crisis, action is required on a wide range of fronts. Families need: a state safety net that provides adequate and reliable financial support, at least rising with inflation; employment laws supporting access to secure, adequately paid employment, allowing people control over hours to fit in with family life; statutory sick pay paid from the first day of sickness, rather than the fourth; public services, including the benefits system, mental health and other GP services that are easier to access with better information and easier channels of communication; measures to help families achieve full digital access; greater efforts by policymakers to connect and engage with people like those in this study who can feel overlooked, with further action to ensure people's concerns are heard and addressed.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
families, low income, poverty, Covid-19, cost of living, employment;
This report explores the rates, persistence and depth of poverty in families with babies and pre-school children in the UK. The report includes analysis by the JosephRowntreeFoundation on the extent of the problem, which found that 1.3 million children under five in the UK are living in poverty. Households where there is a child under 3 face the highest risk of poverty. London has the highest
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report explores the rates, persistence and depth of poverty in families with babies and pre-school children in the UK. The report includes analysis by the JosephRowntreeFoundation on the extent of the problem, which found that 1.3 million children under five in the UK are living in poverty. Households where there is a child under 3 face the highest risk of poverty. London has the highest rates of poverty for children in these households (43%), followed by the North East (42%) and the West Midlands (39%). The analysis shows that some households with young children are at a much higher risk of poverty including, 56% of children in lone parent families; and 53% of children in Black and Minority Ethnic families. The data tells a clear story that deep poverty is on the rise and has been for at least the last decade; housing is adding to the difficulties that families face; and Covid has made a bad situation much, much worse. In the report, families also describe their experiences of raising children on low incomes, in their own words. Together these stories paint a picture of daily difficulties, an absence of hope and a deeply-felt sense of shame. Recommendations for the UK government include: ensure workers can enjoy decent wages and security of income, given how close to the edge families are living; and greater investment now in support for children and families, for all our children's futures.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report explores the rates, persistence and depth of poverty in families with babies and pre-school children in the UK. The report includes analysis by the JosephRowntreeFoundation on the extent of the problem, which found that 1.3 million children under five in the UK are living in poverty. The report also sets out findings from a survey of 1,400 families living on low incomes in the UK
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report explores the rates, persistence and depth of poverty in families with babies and pre-school children in the UK. The report includes analysis by the JosephRowntreeFoundation on the extent of the problem, which found that 1.3 million children under five in the UK are living in poverty. The report also sets out findings from a survey of 1,400 families living on low incomes in the UK, including: 52% said that housing conditions had a negative impact on their child's development or health, 47% of racial minority families with a child under 5 are in poverty and 55% of single parent families with a child under 5 are in poverty; 43% respondents said they don't live somewhere that meets their family's needs and 52% said that they do not live somewhere that has enough space for their family. Recommendations for the UK government include: fund early years support services and support services for new parents and invest in affordable quality childcare.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
babies, poverty, pre-school children, families, low income, child development, single parent families, black and minority ethnic people, child care, housing, service provision;
This is the ninth in a series of reports monitoring the total number of individuals in the UK living below the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) threshold, and explores in detail the family and household characteristics of people with incomes below MIS. The MIS is a benchmark of income adequacy based on what the public think people need for a minimum socially acceptable living standard in the UK. The report focuses on three groups – children, working-age adults and pensioners – looking at how they have got on between 2008/09 and 2019/20. The report reveals that in 2019/20, more than a quarter (27.7%) of all individuals in the UK were living in households with incomes below MIS, compared to 26.7% in 2008/09. The proportion of individuals below MIS has fallen in the latest year and is at its lowest since 2009/10. The proportion of individuals with incomes below 75% of MIS in 2019/20 remains slightly above the level reported in 2008/09 (17.1% compared with 16.6%). Individuals with incomes below this level – falling well short of being able to meet their minimum needs – face a greater risk of being materially deprived. One quarter (25.7%) of children are living in households with very low incomes (below 75% of MIS). Around two in five (43.3%) lone parents working full-time are below MIS, while more than three quarters (80%) working either part-time or self-employed are below this level.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This is the ninth in a series of reports monitoring the total number of individuals in the UK living below the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) threshold, and explores in detail the family and household characteristics of people with incomes below MIS. The MIS is a benchmark of income adequacy based on what the public think people need for a minimum socially acceptable living standard in the UK. The report focuses on three groups – children, working-age adults and pensioners – looking at how they have got on between 2008/09 and 2019/20. The report reveals that in 2019/20, more than a quarter (27.7%) of all individuals in the UK were living in households with incomes below MIS, compared to 26.7% in 2008/09. The proportion of individuals below MIS has fallen in the latest year and is at its lowest since 2009/10. The proportion of individuals with incomes below 75% of MIS in 2019/20 remains slightly above the level reported in 2008/09 (17.1% compared with 16.6%). Individuals with incomes below this level – falling well short of being able to meet their minimum needs – face a greater risk of being materially deprived. One quarter (25.7%) of children are living in households with very low incomes (below 75% of MIS). Around two in five (43.3%) lone parents working full-time are below MIS, while more than three quarters (80%) working either part-time or self-employed are below this level.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
poverty, low income, inequalities, standard of living, children, older people;
This report looks at the current levels of minimum income standard (MIS), on the extent to which people can achieve this based on benefits, Universal Credit (UC) and the National Living Wage (NLW), and on preliminary research considering how norms have been affected by COVID-19. Families with children saw a 2.5% rise in minimum living costs and a 3–4% rise in childcare costs, but benefits and UC increased at a slower rate. In 2021 out-of-work families with children on UC fall about 40% short of the income they need, and those without children fall 60% short. Work improves income considerably, even part-time jobs on the NLW, but still mainly falls short of enabling people to reach MIS, holding back millions of households from reaching the income considered adequate by society. Even working full time, a single person falls 14% short of this standard and a lone parent with two children falls 12% short, although a couple with two children can reach it if both parents work full time. For those with part-time jobs, the shortfalls are much greater, underlining the damaging effects of uncertain and sporadic work. Cutting UC by £20 per week, as planned for October 2021, is set to make these outcomes considerably worse. Other adverse factors that need addressing include the growing reach of the Benefit Cap, now affecting families with two or more children, and the growing number of families living in privately rented housing, for whom high rents can reduce net incomes considerably. The report argues that in the wake of the pandemic, it is essential to develop new approaches to ensuring that people are not held back by inadequate benefits, and uncertain and unstable job prospects.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report looks at the current levels of minimum income standard (MIS), on the extent to which people can achieve this based on benefits, Universal Credit (UC) and the National Living Wage (NLW), and on preliminary research considering how norms have been affected by COVID-19. Families with children saw a 2.5% rise in minimum living costs and a 3–4% rise in childcare costs, but benefits and UC increased at a slower rate. In 2021 out-of-work families with children on UC fall about 40% short of the income they need, and those without children fall 60% short. Work improves income considerably, even part-time jobs on the NLW, but still mainly falls short of enabling people to reach MIS, holding back millions of households from reaching the income considered adequate by society. Even working full time, a single person falls 14% short of this standard and a lone parent with two children falls 12% short, although a couple with two children can reach it if both parents work full time. For those with part-time jobs, the shortfalls are much greater, underlining the damaging effects of uncertain and sporadic work. Cutting UC by £20 per week, as planned for October 2021, is set to make these outcomes considerably worse. Other adverse factors that need addressing include the growing reach of the Benefit Cap, now affecting families with two or more children, and the growing number of families living in privately rented housing, for whom high rents can reduce net incomes considerably. The report argues that in the wake of the pandemic, it is essential to develop new approaches to ensuring that people are not held back by inadequate benefits, and uncertain and unstable job prospects.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
poverty, low income, minimum wage, standard of living, living wage, benefits, universal credit;
This report draws on the experiences of 14 low-income families over a five-year period ending on the eve of the pandemic. It identifies what helped families to keep afloat and what threatened to pull them under as they navigated through choppy waters. Good jobs which provide a route out of poverty, a social security system people can rely on when they are struggling and decent, affordable homes provide the anchor that families need in an unstable world. The report finds that living on a low income involved precarity with ups and downs over time. While some families on low incomes were ‘getting by’, and managing to keep up with outgoings, they were often working hard to keep their heads above water, and risked being pushed into deeper difficulty. Over a five-year period, the 14 families’ situations often fluctuated as changes in work, benefits, and family circumstances impacted on their ability to make ends meet. The factors most likely to help families get by or improve their lives were: steady work, two wages in the family, access to health-related benefits, reduced need for childcare as children got older, formal support and support from extended family. Secure and affordable housing also helped, with support towards rent from housing benefit crucial for those who were finding it hard to manage. Conversely, families were most likely to find it hard to keep afloat if they faced: unstable work, poor health, constraints balancing work and childcare, delays and difficulties with benefits, and high housing costs.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report draws on the experiences of 14 low-income families over a five-year period ending on the eve of the pandemic. It identifies what helped families to keep afloat and what threatened to pull them under as they navigated through choppy waters. Good jobs which provide a route out of poverty, a social security system people can rely on when they are struggling and decent, affordable homes provide the anchor that families need in an unstable world. The report finds that living on a low income involved precarity with ups and downs over time. While some families on low incomes were ‘getting by’, and managing to keep up with outgoings, they were often working hard to keep their heads above water, and risked being pushed into deeper difficulty. Over a five-year period, the 14 families’ situations often fluctuated as changes in work, benefits, and family circumstances impacted on their ability to make ends meet. The factors most likely to help families get by or improve their lives were: steady work, two wages in the family, access to health-related benefits, reduced need for childcare as children got older, formal support and support from extended family. Secure and affordable housing also helped, with support towards rent from housing benefit crucial for those who were finding it hard to manage. Conversely, families were most likely to find it hard to keep afloat if they faced: unstable work, poor health, constraints balancing work and childcare, delays and difficulties with benefits, and high housing costs.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report provides a unique insight into the lives of 14 low-income families, exploring how they coped with the first six months of the coronavirus storm. The pandemic brought fresh challenges to low-income families and intensified the pressure they were already under. Holding onto work and a series of temporary lifelines helped some families to weather the storm. But the additional stresses of the pandemic threatened those in already precarious situations. The report reveals that families on low incomes who were already facing constraints and instability at the start of 2020 were more vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic, with fewer resources to fall back on. Lone parents face extra pressures, depending on one income, and balancing work with childcare alone. During the pandemic, the impact of reduced earnings and extra costs was greater without the backup of a partner, and they could also receive less support from an ex-partner whose situation changed. The digital divide has become even more salient during the pandemic. This affected children who were home-learning without suitable equipment or adequate online access, as well as access to online services and support for parents if they were not confident internet users.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report provides a unique insight into the lives of 14 low-income families, exploring how they coped with the first six months of the coronavirus storm. The pandemic brought fresh challenges to low-income families and intensified the pressure they were already under. Holding onto work and a series of temporary lifelines helped some families to weather the storm. But the additional stresses of the pandemic threatened those in already precarious situations. The report reveals that families on low incomes who were already facing constraints and instability at the start of 2020 were more vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic, with fewer resources to fall back on. Lone parents face extra pressures, depending on one income, and balancing work with childcare alone. During the pandemic, the impact of reduced earnings and extra costs was greater without the backup of a partner, and they could also receive less support from an ex-partner whose situation changed. The digital divide has become even more salient during the pandemic. This affected children who were home-learning without suitable equipment or adequate online access, as well as access to online services and support for parents if they were not confident internet users.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
Covid-19, low income, poverty, families, children, single parent families, digital technology, socioeconomic groups, inequalities;
This is the 2019/20 edition of JRF’s annual report on the nature and scale of poverty across the UK and how it affects people who are caught in its grip. It highlights how poverty has changed in our society recently, as well as over the longer term. It examines overall changes to poverty, with chapters looking at the impact of work, the social security system and housing, and shows how carers and people with disabilities are affected by poverty. As concern about poverty in our society rises, there is an opportunity to right this wrong and take action to reduce our high poverty levels. At times during the last 20 years, the UK has dramatically reduced poverty among people who had traditionally been most at risk – pensioners and children – showing that real progress is possible. But this progress has begun to unravel. In particular, you are much more likely to be in poverty if you live in certain regions, live in a family where there’s a disabled person or a carer, if you work in certain sectors such as accommodation and catering or retail, or if you live in privately rented housing. As part of this project, we have spoken to lone parents on low incomes, whose experiences chime with our research findings. They spoke of insecurity across many aspects of their lives: ‘dehumanising’ work, feeling trapped ‘in a never-ending circle’ by the benefits system, and feeling ‘stuck’ in unaffordable or insecure housing with ‘no alternative’. The paper discusses policy solutions, which include: ensuring as many people as possible are in good jobs; improving earnings for low-income working families; strengthening the benefits system; and increasing the amount of low-cost housing.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This is the 2019/20 edition of JRF’s annual report on the nature and scale of poverty across the UK and how it affects people who are caught in its grip. It highlights how poverty has changed in our society recently, as well as over the longer term. It examines overall changes to poverty, with chapters looking at the impact of work, the social security system and housing, and shows how carers and people with disabilities are affected by poverty. As concern about poverty in our society rises, there is an opportunity to right this wrong and take action to reduce our high poverty levels. At times during the last 20 years, the UK has dramatically reduced poverty among people who had traditionally been most at risk – pensioners and children – showing that real progress is possible. But this progress has begun to unravel. In particular, you are much more likely to be in poverty if you live in certain regions, live in a family where there’s a disabled person or a carer, if you work in certain sectors such as accommodation and catering or retail, or if you live in privately rented housing. As part of this project, we have spoken to lone parents on low incomes, whose experiences chime with our research findings. They spoke of insecurity across many aspects of their lives: ‘dehumanising’ work, feeling trapped ‘in a never-ending circle’ by the benefits system, and feeling ‘stuck’ in unaffordable or insecure housing with ‘no alternative’. The paper discusses policy solutions, which include: ensuring as many people as possible are in good jobs; improving earnings for low-income working families; strengthening the benefits system; and increasing the amount of low-cost housing.
(Edited publisher abstract)