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Poverty in Britain: what can we learn from household spending?
- Author:
- JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- York
Recent poverty trends are very different when spending is used as a measure of living standards rather than income. Spending poverty rates (the proportion of people with spending below 60% of median expenditure) have risen since 1997, even though income poverty rates (income below 60% of median income) have fallen: spending poverty rose from 20% to 22% between 1996/97 and 2002/03 – up by 12% – compared with a fall in income poverty, from 25% to 22% (down by 12%); child poverty rates measured using expenditure rose by 11% between 1996/97 and 2002/03, but fell by 15% when measured using income; pensioner poverty has remained roughly unchanged measured on spending, but has fallen rapidly measured on income. Further back, trends in income and spending poverty also showed differences. The rise in relative poverty over the 1980s was much smaller when measured using spending than the rise in income poverty. Income and spending poverty are distinct states; only about half of those who would be classified as poor by one would be so classified by the other. Self-employed people and job-seekers are more likely to be classified as poor when measured by income rather than spending. For pensioners, the situation is reversed. The lowest-income households have disproportionately high expenditure. Among households in the bottom 1% of income distribution, average spending is greater than at any point until one-third of the way up income distribution, suggesting that spending might be a better guide to their welfare than income. Though they remain low spenders on average, pensioners have increased their spending – particularly on non-essentials – in response to higher benefits.
Black and minority ethnic older people's views on research findings
- Author:
- JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- York
This literature review shows that: The numbers (and proportions) of older people from black and minority ethnic communities have risen rapidly, from 60,000 in 1981 to over 350,000 in 2001. Although the numbers have grown from being quite small, this is not a new area of research. The impact of ageing (in terms of health and support needs) happens at a comparatively younger age among many minority communities. Black and minority ethnic older people are more likely to face a greater level of poverty, live in poorer quality housing, and have poorer access to benefits and pensions than 'white' older people. Myths about minority ethnic communities need challenging: there is not necessarily an extended family which "looks after its own". Older people from different communities may share experiences of ageism and racism, but the circumstances of Chinese, Afro-Caribbean or Asian older people may require different approaches and solutions. As well as endorsing many of these findings, the consultation groups raised the following issues: Access to majority services for black and minority ethnic older people remains problematic. Barriers include language issues, knowledge of what is available, and the attitudes and practices of service providers. Older people felt that community-based voluntary organisations were more likely to reflect their needs; such organisations are, however, the least financially secure. Older people said that they had been over-researched, with researchers often asking the same questions (or producing the same findings) as had been evident 15 years ago. They did not want yet more research for its own sake. They wanted action that would bring about change and to be involved in decisions that affected their own lives - locally and nationally.
Geographic patterns of change of benefit claimants
- Author:
- JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2002
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- York
Using data from the Department for Work and Pensions, this study explores changing patterns of claim rates of Income Support (IS) and income-based Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA-IB) in England between 1995 and 2000. It carries forward earlier work using administrative data and demonstrates the power of such data in measuring changing fortunes over time for different area units and claimant groups throughout England. Following the recession in the early 1990s the British economy enjoyed a period of sustained economic growth. The impact of this recovery has, however, not been shared equally by different groups, whether these are defined geographically by area, or by claimant group category. The study looked at changes in claim rates by claimant characteristics (lone parents, unemployed, 'disabled and others', those aged 60 and over, families with children, and claimants who are in their fifties) and by location (Government Offices for the Regions (GOs), local authority districts and wards).