The Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK Survey 2012: Headline results for Scotland

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1 EMBARGOED UNTIL 1.30pm THURSDAY MARCH The Pverty and Scial Exclusin in the UK Survey 2012: Headline results fr Sctland The Pverty and Scial Exclusin reprt is the result f tw surveys undertaken in 2012 that spke t ver 2700 individuals in Sctland (and 14,000 acrss the UK). It is the largest and mst authritative study f pverty and deprivatin ever cnducted in the UK. The surveys asked peple what they thught the minimum standard f living shuld be, and what standard f living they actually had. These headline results fr Sctland highlights sme f gaps between these tw. The first results frm this study will be bradcast n ITV at 7.30pm n Thursday, March 28 in a special Tnight prgramme n Breadline Britain. Inadequate husing Over 1-in-5 peple (21%) suffers frm a damp, inadequately heated and/r prly decrated hme. 1-in-14 peple lives in a damp hme (7%). 1-in-12 peple (8%) cannt affrd t heat the living areas f their hme. 1-in-7 peple (15%) des nte have enugh mney t keep their hme in a decent state f decratin. The majrity f Scts (ver 50%) think that everyne n ne shuld have t suffer any f these things. 1-in-6 children (16%) lives in a hme which is either damp r nt adequately heated. Ging withut fd Almst 1-in-20 peple in Sctland (6%) is unable t affrd an adequate diet. The great majrity f Scts (ver 75%) think that all adults shuld be able t affrd: tw meals a day; fresh fruit and vegetables daily; and meat/fish r vegetarian equivalent every ther day. 7% f adults lack at least ne f these fd item. The great majrity f Scts (ver 75%) think that all children shuld have: three meals a day; fresh fruit and vegetables daily; and meat/fish r vegetarian equivalent every day. 3% f Scttish families cntain children wh lack at least ne fd item. In all f the Scttish husehlds where children lack a basic fd item, at least ne adult reprted that they skimped n their wn fd s that thers culd have enugh. 1

2 Insufficient clthing 1-in-14 adults (7%) cannt affrd basic items f clthing: a warm, waterprf cat; and tw pairs f all-weather shes. 1-in-12 wrking-age adults cannt affrd apprpriate clthes fr a jb interview (8%). Amng unemplyed adults, the figure is mre than 2-in-5 (41%). The majrity f Scts (ver 50%) think that everyne shuld be able t affrd all f these things. 1-in-9 adults (11%) lacks at least ne. The majrity f Scts (ver 50%) think that all children shuld have: a warm winter cat; new, prperly fitting shes; sme new, nt secndhand, clthes; at least 4 pairs f trusers, leggings r equivalent. 1-in-20 children (5%) has t g withut ne r mre f these items. Financial insecurity Overall, almst 1-in-3 adults (32%) suffers frm at least ne f frms f financial insecurity. 1-in-12 husehlds (9%) cannt affrd husehld insurance. 1-in-4 adults (28%) is unable t save 20 a mnth fr rainy days. 1-in-4 wrking age adults (23%) cannt affrd t make regular payments int an ccupatinal r private pensin scheme. The majrity f Scts (ver 50%) think that everyne shuld be able t affrd all f these things. Husehld gds The majrity f Scts (ver 50%) think that everyne shuld be able t affrd: a washing machine; a phne; curtains r blinds; a table and chairs; and t replace r repair brken electrical gds. Almst 1-in-4 adults (24%) cannt affrd ne r mre f these items. Scial activities The majrity f Scts (ver 50%) believe that everyne shuld have sufficient mney: t visit family/friends in hspital; t celebrate special ccasins; t attend a wedding r funeral; t keep up a hbby; and t take part in sprt r exercise. Almst 1-in-8 (13%) cannt affrd ne r mre f these activities. The majrity f Scts (ver 50%) believe that there shuld be enugh mney fr children 5 and ver: t be able t jin in celebratins n special ccasins; t keep up a hbby; t take part in clubs r activities; t g n day trips with the family nce a mnth; t g n a schl trip nce a term; and t have a hliday away frm hme ne week a year. Almst 1-in-3 children (32%) lack ne r mre f these activities. 1-in-6 (17%) lacks tw r mre. 2

3 Cmparisns with the UK as a whle In cmparisn t the UK as a whle, the picture f deprivatin in Sctland is nt quite as severe. Fr example, there are 22 items which the majrity f the UK ppulatin thinks all adults shuld be able t affrd. Fr the UK as a whle, 33% f adults lack 3 r mre f these necessities is 33%. Fr Sctland, the figure is 29%. Further wrk is needed t establish the reasns fr this but ne factr is likely t be the higher cst f husing in England, particularly in Lndn and the Suth East. Other factrs may be the differential impact f the ecnmic dwnturn since 2009 n different areas. Cmmenting n these findings, Nick Bailey f the University f Glasgw said: These findings paint a very bleak picture f life fr large numbers f peple living in lw incme husehlds in Sctland tday. There is little cmfrt in the fact that levels f deprivatin appear t be even wrse in the rest f the UK. The abslute numbers in Sctland are still shcking. Trends ver time Fr Britain as a whle, we can cmpare the results fr 2012 with thse fr similar surveys in 1983, 1990, and These shw that the situatin tday is wrse than it has been fr the past thirty years. In 1983, 14% f the British ppulatin suffered frm multiple deprivatin by the standards set by the public. Tday, it is 33%. Fr a significant and grwing prprtin f the ppulatin, living cnditins and pprtunities have been ging backwards. Husing and heating cnditins, in particular, have deterirated rapidly. The number f husehlds unable t heat the living areas f their hmes is at a recrd high nw 9% cmpared t 3% in the 1990s and 5% in Overcrwding is as high as it was in 1983: tday 9% f families cannt affrd enugh bedrms fr every child aged 10 r ver f a different sex t have their wn bedrm (back up frm 3% in 1999). The number f husehlds unable t affrd damp-free hmes has risen frm 6% in 1983 t10% nw. Increasing numbers f children lack items cnsidered essential fr a stimulating envirnment and fr scial participatin and develpment. Fr example, the prprtin f schl age children unable t g n schl trips at least nce a term has risen frm 2% in 1999 t 8% tday. Cmmenting n the trends, Prfessr Glen Bramley f Herit-Watt University said: The situatin is already serius but it is set t get wrse as benefit levels fall in real terms, as real wages cntinue a three-year decline and as living standards are further squeezed. The decline in living standards and the high level f financial insecurity pse an enrmus challenge fr bth the Scttish and Westminster Gvernments. 3

4 These are just sme f the stark findings f the Pverty and Scial Exclusin (PSE) prject which published the initial findings n the extent f impverishment in the UK tday. The PSE apprach (see Research Methd belw) nw adpted by the UK gvernment and applied by a grwing number f rich and develping cuntries identifies the number f peple falling belw a publicly-determined minimum standard f living. This unique way f measuring pverty was pineered in 1983 and repeated in GB in 1990 and 1999; in NI in 2003; and fr the whle UK in The first results frm this study will be bradcast n ITV at 7.30pm n Thursday 28 March in a special Tnight prgramme n Breadline Britain. A summary f the findings fr the UK will be available frm the prject website frm 1.30pm n the same day 4

5 NOTES TO EDITORS Survey details The PSE study is based n tw surveys cnducted in The Necessities f Life survey was carried ut between May and June 2012 and is based n a sample f 2,450 adults aged 16 r ver in the UK with 111 in Sctland. The Living Standards 2012 survey was carried ut between February and Octber It interviewed 11,600 individuals living in 5,200 husehlds in the UK. Of these, there were 2770 individuals in 1250 husehlds in Sctland. The full Living Standards questinnaire can be dwnladed frm the PSE website: The research methd Official measures f pverty are largely based n the prprtin f the ppulatin falling belw particular levels f incme (fr example 60% f the median incme after adjusting fr husehld size and cmpsitin). The PSE research, by cntrast, measures the numbers f peple wh fall belw what the ppulatin as a whle think shuld be a minimum standard f living. This is the nly measure based n lking at bth: what the majrity agree are necessities f life in the UK tday, and peple s actual living standards (rather than just incme). There are three steps invlved: 1. An attitudes survey identifies what the ppulatin as a whle think are necessities : things that everyne shuld be able t affrd and which n ne shuld have t g withut. 2. A living standards survey finds ut wh has and wh des nt have each necessity. It allws a distinctin t be drawn between thse lacking individual necessities by chice (preference) and thse wh lack them because they cannt affrd them. Only thse wh cannt affrd a necessity are included as being deprived. 3. Deprivatin cunts identify hw many peple cannt affrd grups f these necessities and an verall multiple-deprivatin cunt identifies hw many cannt affrd these necessities t the pint that affects their whle way f life. Only items seen as a necessity by the majrity f the ppulatin are included. The 1983 Breadline Britain survey pineered this apprach. It was used again in Breadline Britain 1990, PSE Britain 1999, Bare Necessities Nrthern Ireland 2002/023 and the latest PSE: UK 2012 research. The PSE-UK research was financed by the Ecnmic and Scial Research Cuncil. It is a majr cllabratin between the University f Bristl, the University f Glasgw, Herit-Watt University, the Open University, Queen's University Belfast and the University f Yrk wrking with the NatCen and NISRA. The University f Glasgw team are: Nick Bailey (Senir Lecturer), Maria Gannn (Research Assciate) and Mark Livingstn (Research Fellw). The Herit-Watt University team are: Prfessr Glen Bramley and Kirsten Besemer (Research Assciate). Nick Bailey (Glasgw) Glen Bramley (Herit-Watt) wk: wk: mb: mb: nick.bailey@glasgw.ac.uk g.bramley@hw.ac.uk 5