Poverty, inequality and attitudes in the UK

Poverty is one of the most persistent causes of inequality in society, and the situation is worse today than it has been for the past thirty years. However, did you know that research into public attitudes to poverty indicates that the public has become increasingly likely to say that individual characteristics rather than societal issues cause poverty?

A poverty and social exclusion research project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council , is the largest ever study undertaken of poverty in the UK. The research shows, for example,

Over 30 million people (almost half the population) are suffering to some degree from financial insecurity.

• Almost 18 million in the UK today cannot afford adequate housing conditions.
• About 5.5 million adults go without essential clothing.
• Around 4 million children and adults are not properly fed by today’s standards.
• Almost 4 million children go without at least two of the things they need.
• Around 2.5 million children live in homes that are damp
• Around 1.5 million children live in households that cannot afford to heat their home

Another research report, for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), explored public attitudes to poverty and welfare over the past three decades. Published in May 2013, this report identified a trend in which the public has become increasingly likely to say that individual characteristics rather than societal issues cause poverty. For example:

• Two-thirds (66%) of the public identify an explanation for child poverty that relates to the characteristics and behaviour of parents, compared to the 28% who say it is down to broader social issues. 
• 15% of the public in 1994 thought people lived in need because of laziness or lack of willpower, compared to 23% in 2010. Support for the view that people live in poverty because of injustice in society fell from 29% to 21% over the same time period.
• These changes are most marked among Labour supporters: just 27% of supporters cite social injustice as the main cause, down from 41% in 1986; while those identifying laziness and willpower rose from 13% to 22%.

Julia Unwin, Chief Executive of JRF, said: ‘The stark findings of this report highlight the increasingly tough stance people are taking against people in poverty. We appear to be tough on those experiencing poverty, but not tough on its causes.’

However, the research found considerable consensus among the public about the need for the government to reduce, as a high priority, the high levels of child poverty in the UK.

To download the poverty and social exclusion research project, report, click here

For details on the JRF website, click here