One in four children growing up in homes with 鈥渧ery low income鈥

  • 25.6% of children (3.5 million) are living in very low-income homes 鈥 up 250,000 on last year
  • 41.9% of children (5.8 million) are living in low-income homes
  • 72% of children (2.2 million) from lone parent households are living in very low-income households
  • 18.7m people in the UK (28.9%) struggle to meet their minimum living needs
  • 11.2m people (17.4%) are falling seriously short of being able to meet their minimum needs

A quarter of all children in the UK are growing up in very low-income households, according to a new report into minimum socially acceptable standards of living.

Some 3.5 million youngsters live in "low wage" households in the UK

Analysis undertaken by 天堂视频’s Centre for Research into Social Policy (CRSP) has revealed that 3.5 million young people are living in households which fall below 75% of the Minimum Income Standard (MIS).

The number has risen by more than 250,000 compared to last year.

The MIS is based on what members of the public consider people need to have a minimum standard of living, which includes things like food, clothing, household bills and travel, but also provides enough for people to take part in the world around them.

It establishes a threshold below which households struggle to make ends meet.

The report, , out today, was funded and published by the (JRF), and also looked at working-age adults and pensioners.

The groups were broken down into:

  • Children with lone parents
  • Children with couple parents
  • Parents
  • Single working-age adults, no children
  • Couple working-age adults, no children
  • Single pensioners
  • Couple pensioners

The analysis showed that 18.7 million people (28.9%) fall below the MIS threshold and 11.2 million people (17.4%) are living below 75% of this income level.

It also revealed that 5.8 million children are living below MIS.

Dr Juliet Stone, one of the authors of the report, said: “Families with children have been hit especially hard by the ongoing erosion of state support.

“At the same time, the costs of essentials such as public transport and energy have continued to increase, meaning that over a quarter of the population of children in the UK are now living in households with incomes significantly below the Minimum Income Standard.

“What’s more, it is increasingly the case the families struggle to make ends meet despite being in work – half of all lone parents in full-time work do not have the income needed for a minimum socially acceptable standard of living.

“These latest findings suggest that the policies such as the freeze in Child Benefit and tax credits are continuing to have a profound, negative effect on the living standards of children, and across the UK population.”

Number and proportion of individuals in households below MIS and below 75% of MIS, 2008/09 and 2017/18

 

% of total population

Number below MIS (millions)

Proportion below MIS

Number below 75% of MIS (millions)

Proportion below 75% of MIS

 

2008/09

2017/18

2008/09

2017/18

2008/09

2017/18

2008/09

2017/18

2008/09

2017/18

All

100.0%

100.0%

16.2

18.7

26.8%

28.9%

10.1

11.2

16.6%

17.4%

Working-age adults

59.9%

58.1%

9.8

10.5

26.9%

28.0%

6.4

6.7

17.7%

17.9%

Children

21.4%

21.2%

5.1

5.8

39.1%

41.9%

3.0

3.5

23.4%

25.6%

Pensioners

18.7%

20.7%

1.4

2.5

12.3%

18.3%

0.6

1.0

5.4%

7.8%

Subgroups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children with lone parents

5.0%

4.7%

2.0

2.2

67.3%

72.2%

1.3

1.5

42.3%

49.1%

Children with couple parents

16.4%

16.5%

3.0

3.6

30.5%

33.3%

1.8

2.0

17.7%

19.0%

Parents

21.7%

21.4%

4.2

4.7

31.9%

34.2%

2.6

2.9

19.5%

20.6%

Single working-age adults, no children

17.3%

17.7%

3.7

3.9

35.2%

34.0%

2.7

2.6

25.4%

22.9%

Couple working-age adults, no children

21.0%

18.9%

1.9

1.9

14.9%

15.4%

1.2

1.2

9.4%

10.1%

Single pensioners

7.3%

7.7%

0.7

1.4

15.8%

28.9% 

0.3

0.6

7.1%

12.6%

Couple pensioners

11.4%

13.0%

0.7

1.0

10.0%

12.1%

0.3

0.4

4.3%

5.0%

 

The proportion of all individuals below MIS has fallen each year since 2013/14, having previously increased every year between 2008/09 and 2013/14. Despite these falls, a greater proportion of people are living on an inadequate income now than in 2008/09.

And the proportion of all individuals with incomes below 75% of MIS in 2017/18 is above the level reported for 2008/09 (17.4% compared with 16.6%).

Pensioners remain the group least likely to be living in a household with an inadequate income.

However, the proportion of older people living below MIS has increased by nearly 50% since 2008/09.

Lone parent households continue to be particularly affected by the freeze in Child Benefit and tax credits.

The report said that the impact of this freeze will continue to be felt most acutely by these households.

Proportion of individuals in households below MIS, by demographic group, 2008/09 to 2017/18

Proportion of individuals in households below 75% of MIS, by demographic group, 2008/09 to 2017/18

The report was co-authored by Matt Padley.

The Minimum Income Standard (MIS), carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at 天堂视频, acts as a barometer of minimum living standards in the UK.

It is not a poverty line but is based on what members of the public think we all need to achieve a decent minimum living standard, regularly updated as society and the economy changes.

ENDS

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 20/07

天堂视频 is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via

天堂视频 is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2019 QS World University Rankings, University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019 and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.

天堂视频 is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.

天堂视频 is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, 天堂视频 has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The 天堂视频 London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

天堂视频 staff, students and alumni make a real difference. They challenge convention, think creatively and find solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing society today and in the future.

Meet the #LboroGameChangers at lboro.ac.uk/lborogamechangers

Categories