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Poverty in later life
- Author:
- AGE UK
- Publisher:
- Age UK
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 11
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing looks at levels of pensioner poverty in the UK, changes over time, groups at greatest risk and considers what life is like for older people living on a low income. Key points include: although poverty levels are lower than they were 20 years ago, the latest figures show 2.1 million (18 per cent) of pensioners in the UK live in poverty; rates have risen since 2013-14 when 1.6 million (14 per cent) lived in poverty; some groups are at particular risk – 38 per cent of private tenants and 36 per cent of social rented sector tenants, live in poverty compared to 14 per cent of older people who own their home outright and 33 per cent of Asian or Asian British pensioners and 30 per cent of Black or Black British pensioners, are in poverty compared to 16 per cent of White pensioners; financial disadvantage is not just about income coming in – it is harder to manage on a modest income when people have extra costs, for example due to disability or care needs or if heating bills are high because they live in a cold, poorly insulated home; the Government should set out a clear reform programme, in partnership with third sector organisations and others, to abolish poverty in later life; in an ideal world, the State Pension system should provide an income sufficient to cover basic needs, and everyone would have opportunities to build up additional private incomes which would allow a comfortable retirement; however, there is a long way to go to achieve this aim and, in the meantime, far more needs to be done to increase the take-up of benefit entitlements. (Edited publisher abstract)
A rewarding retirement: notes from an assembly of older BME people
- Author:
- MAWHINNEY Phil
- Journal article citation:
- Runnymede Bulletin, 368, Winter 2011, pp.9-10.
- Publisher:
- Runnymede Trust
As part of a 3-year programme of research into financial inclusion and older BME people, Runnymede brought together 50 older people from a range of ethnic backgrounds to share their knowledge and concerns on retirement. This article provides an overview of some of the issues, which include: poverty; the issue of not being eligible for a full state pension when returning to their country of birth on retirement; and the concern felt for younger generations facing high rates of unemployment.
Social security for China’s rural aged: a proposal based on a universal non-contributory pension
- Authors:
- YANG Yinan, WILLIAMSON John B., SHEN Ce
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Social Welfare, 19(2), April 2010, pp.236-245.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
China’s old-age social security system has long been largely restricted to urban areas. This exacerbates the already severe rural–urban economic disparity, slows the rate of rural poverty reduction, poses a threat to social stability, and raises social justice concerns. This analysis draws on evidence from a number of sources including interviews with experts on China, Chinese government documents, Chinese newspaper accounts, and other sources from other countries. Based on the analysis of what has been tried in other countries and the current situation in rural China, this paper offers some suggestions for Chinese policy makers. It suggests that, for rural China, a universal non-contributory old-age pension deserves serious consideration, and refers to a proposed model as a Rural Old-Age Social Pension. It proposes an annual benefit level for each pensioner set at 4% of China’s GDP per capita, but suggests that it could first be introduced at a lower level and at a relatively high age of eligibility. The proposed model will reduce the level of poverty in rural areas and the degree of income inequality between rural and urban areas while simultaneously promoting social and political stability.
Understanding older people's experiences of poverty and material deprivation
- Authors:
- DOMINY Nicola, KEMPSON Elaine
- Publisher:
- Corporate Document Services; Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 87p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Leeds
The overall aims of the project were to provide an understanding of older people's experiences of poverty and their understanding of a range of indicators used to measure material deprivation. Therefore as well as providing a rich description of older people's saving and spending habits it also sought to understand how they interpreted material deprivation indicators. It was based on indepth interviews and focus groups and was undertaken by the Personal Finance Research Centre at the University of Bristol. Readers are recommended to also consult another DWP report published at the same time: Are Poor Pensioner Deprived? Undertaken by the University of Essex, it focuses on secondary analysis of material deprivation data.
Towards a citizen's pension: interim report
- Author:
- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PENSION FUNDS
- Publisher:
- National Association of Pension Funds
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 64p.
- Place of publication:
- London
A ‘Citizen’s Pension’, also known as a Universal Pension, is a basic amount payable to every individual over state pension age who passes a residency test. This report considers a Citizen’s Pension of at least £105 a week in 2004 terms, indexed to earnings, as this is the current minimum level of income a person over pension age would have through Pension Credit. The benefits of a Citizen’s Pension would be adequacy, simplicity, inclusion, encouragement to save, efficiency and certainty. Transition to a Citizen’s Pension would speed up the change occurring anyway to the state pension system, while improving it. With a Citizen’s Pension, the role of the state in poverty prevention is clarified, making decisions on any further state role (including enhancing voluntary or compulsory saving) clearer. No pension policy can satisfy all preferences, so a decision for a Citizen’s Pension would be made because it gives the best package overall for the long-term.There are perceived practical problems with a Citizen’s Pension, but this report suggests that some of these are misplaced, and that others can be resolved.
Pensioners' spending patterns and living standards
- Author:
- JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 1995
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- York
Spending by pensioners rose less than their incomes over the twelve years to 1991, and more were in poverty in terms of their spending than on the basis of their incomes. Reports on analysis of the Family Expenditure Survey by Deborah Smeaton and Ruth Hancock of the Age Concern Institute of Gerontology, King's College London.
Life on a low income: the reality of poverty for older people in Wales
- Author:
- AGE CYMRU
- Publisher:
- Age Cymru
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 12
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
Based on research and real life examples of the situations that face some people in retirement, this report illustrates the harsh choices older people on living on low incomes often have to make. It shows that poverty and financial hardship are a reality for many older people in Wales. Includes examples of local services provided by Age Cymru, their staff and volunteers, and highlights how they can make a real difference to people's lives. Suggests actions the Welsh Government and local authorities should take to tackle pension poverty in Wales. (Edited publisher abstract)
The implications of government policy for future levels of pensioner poverty
- Authors:
- CARRERA Leandro, REDWOOD Daniel, ADAMS John
- Publisher:
- Pensions Poverty Institute
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 81p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
In 2009/10 around 1.8 million pensioners were living in households with household income below the relative poverty line of 60% of median income after housing costs. This represents 16% of a total of 11.5 million pensioners living in the UK. Further state pension reforms may have an impact on the income of current and future pensioners and hence on future levels of pensioner poverty. This report examines the potential impact of a range of alternative policy options that Government could adopt on future levels of pensioner poverty. Some of the policy proposals considered relate to the latest proposals suggested by the Government such as the introduction of a single-tier state pension of £140 a week. The report highlights the trade-offs faced by all Governments in terms of the potential effect on poverty reduction of alternative policies and the costs of the different policy options. The policy options that appear to be most effective at reducing future levels of pensioner poverty, such as the introduction of a flat-rate single-tier pension for all pensioners, are also the most expensive for the Government to implement. The report does not aim to suggest which policy should be adopted, but instead to highlight the implications of policy choices for possible future levels of pensioner poverty.
The Bulgarian pension reform: post-accession issues and challenges
- Authors:
- ASENOVA Darinka, MCKINNON Roddy
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of European Social Policy, 17(4), November 2007, pp.389-396.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Focusing on the social impacts of the 2000—2 pension reform in Bulgaria, the article examines how Bulgarian pensioners cope with income risk in old age. Reporting that old-age pensions are frequently inadequate to household consumption needs, the authors argue for more generous tax-financed social pensions alongside contributory pension provision, to combat old-age poverty. As the poorest country to date to achieve European Union accession, the article concludes by suggesting that Bulgaria's pursuit of fuller integration and development within the EU cannot be divorced from better meeting the social security needs of its ageing population.
The poverty of older people in the UK
- Author:
- PRICE Debora
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Practice, 20(3), November 2006, pp.251-266.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The quality of life of older people is markedly affected by their material resources and experience of income poverty. In 1997, almost a third of those past state pension age in the UK lived in poverty. Changes to benefits and payments to older people since the advent of a Labour government have on some measures reduced these poverty rates significantly. This article critically examines this claim, posing three substantive questions: what do these measurements of poverty rates among older people mean, who are the disadvantaged in old age, and what might the future of poverty in old age look like? Poverty rates are extremely sensitive to the measures used, and particular problems for older people such as depth of poverty and persistent poverty are disguised by headcount poverty rates. Among older people, gender, social class, age and marital status are important determinants of poverty. Following the Pensions Commission's report in November 2005, the government will introduce pension reforms that will have some impact on pensioner poverty decades in the future, but will have almost no impact on current pensioners, and little impact on those who will shortly become pensioners. It is argued that older people are institutionally marginalised in these reforms. Material disadvantage accumulates not only through socio-economic correlates and life events, but also because of age, generation and cohort.