[UK] Poverty twice as likely to persist across generations, shows new JRF research

from First Rung

Poverty twice as likely to persist across generations, shows new JRF (Joseph Rowntree) research. A conference at the London School of Economics and a new JRF publication will demonstrate clearly the strong link between childhood poverty and its continuing persistence across adulthood.

This is the first time that nationally representative research has revealed how people who grew up poor suffer continued poverty into middle age, and how this trend is worsening. While children in poverty are currently the focus of so much attention, this report examines the experiences of today's adults to assess the impact of not tackling childhood poverty.

The research reveals how the increased likelihood of poverty in their early 30s for poor teenagers compared to non-poor teenagers in the 1980s was twice as strong as it was for those from the 1970s. It also shows how the impact of being poor as teenagers continues to affect individuals as they grow into middle age.

The report shows that ending income poverty will not address the problem of persistent poverty alone. Report author Jo Blanden said:

"Our research shows that there is no quick fix to ending these enduring patterns of poverty across generations. It highlights the importance of the policy agenda to reduce child poverty and disadvantage but also show that this cannot be done through income transfers alone."