The research grant

• Funded by the ESRC

• Major grant – £4.3 million

• The UK’s largest ever research project on poverty and social exclusion

• Start April 2010

• End October 2013

The Research team

• University of Bristol• Heriot-Watt University• The Open University• Queen's University Belfast• University of Glasgow • The University of York

The research aims

• Improve measurement of poverty and social exclusion

• Independent assessment on poverty targets• Measure the change over past 30 years• Produce policy-relevant results

Earlier work

• Breadline Britain 1983

• Breadline Britain 1990

• PSE 1999

• PSE Northern Ireland 2002

Breadline Britain 1983

• Pioneered the “consensual” minimum standards approach to poverty

• Built on earlier work looking at living standards and relative deprivation

• Measured actual living standard • Identified necessities• Allowed for choice

The consensual methodSees poverty as:

“an enforced lack of socially perceived necessities”

Examines:

Multiple deprivation including social as well as material deprivation

Allows for:

Comparison of deprivation indicators with income

Follow up – 1990s

• Breadline Britain 1990 survey (JRF & LWT)• European Community Household Panel surveys • Incorporated into Irish anti-poverty legislation

(1997)• Australian and New Zealand government

surveys

PSE 1999

• Extended indicators of social exclusion• Furthered work on cross national

comparisons• Allowed greater investigation with other social

indicators (crime, unemployment, poor health etc)

• Developed income/deprivation index

PSE NI, 2002

• Examined indicators of social divide• Looked at impact of violence and the

“troubles”• Constructed a living standard index

PSE 2011 - methodology

Two stage survey:

1. Necessities survey using the NatCen Omnibus survey in Britain and the NISRA Omnibus survey in June 2011

2. Main deprivation survey using FRS in April 2012 with 4,000 households in Britain and further 800 in NI

In parallel, some in depth qualitative research will be undertaken

PSE 2011- measurement aims

• To develop new combined income/deprivation poverty measures

• To construct a standard of living index for the UK• To facilitate the re-basing of the data on

necessities incorporated into UK government measurement of child poverty

• To test the reliability of the material deprivation module currently being incorporated into EU-SILC

PSE 2011 - analysis

• Track change over last 30 years• Provide independent assessment of impact

of government policy• Detailed analysis of deprivation by group• Undertake longitudinal analysis using new

data and back benefit records of survey participants

• Examine policy implications

PSE - international

Work with international team who have carried out similar “necessities” based approaches to poverty research in:

Japan, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, France, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, EU and others

PSE – dissemination

• Poverty website• Conferences• Publications• Television programmes• Social media and You Tube etc

www.poverty.ac.uk First stage• Open research process• Using the web for research –

necessities survey• Past PSE research • International conferences papers and

research

www.poverty.ac.uk

Second stage• Past survey data• New visualisation tools• Related research• Comment blog

www.poverty.ac.uk

By 2013• All data from current and past surveys • Research resource bank on poverty and

social exclusion• Educational resource bank• Video case studies• International research• Engage policy makers in debate• Stimulate public interest