Our latest case study showcases how the Commission uses Understanding Society data to examine the persistence of poverty, and the experiences of people who live in poverty.
The Commission’s Measuring Poverty 2020 report shows that rates of poverty have changed little in 20 years, and that 14.4 million people in the UK are living in families in poverty – 33% of children and 22% of all working age adults.
The Department for Work and Pensions is now developing experimental statistics on poverty using the Commission’s measure, which is the first step towards official National Statistics. When the DWP announced this, Will Quince, then Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, said: “The Social Metrics Commission makes a compelling case for why we should look at poverty more broadly to give a more detailed picture of who is poor, their experience of poverty and their future chances of remaining in, or entering, poverty. We look forward to exploring the merits of developing a new measure with them and other experts in this field. In the long run this could help us target support more effectively.”
Read the case study (PDF)
Read the Social Metrics Commission’s Measuring Poverty 2020
Family and householdsIncome and expenditureSocial mobility
