Under embargo until 00.01hrs Tuesday 25 April 2006
Poverty twice as likely to persist across generations, shows new JRF 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."
Notes to Editors:
- The persistence of poverty across generations by Jo Blanden and Steve Gibbons is available to download or buy.
- The conference, Poverty over the lifecycle, takes place at the LSE on Tuesday 25 April (2.30-6.30pm). Details: 020 7955 7285.
- The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is a charity spending £9 million a year on research and development work that seeks to understand the underlying causes of social problems and explore ways of overcoming them.
- Jo Blanden and Steve Gibbons are available for interview.
Further information
- Read the Findings summary
- Order a printed report from our Bookshop
- Download the report free of charge (PDF, 0.29MB)
JRF contacts
Issued by Nasreen Memon, JRF Head of Media Relations: 0207 278 9665 | nasreen.memon@jrf.org.uk
JRF press office: 01904 615 958
