When we hear the word ‘poverty,’ images of hunger, homelessness, and desperation often come to mind. But what does it really mean to live in poverty in the UK today? Understanding poverty is important because it affects millions of people, including teenagers. So, let’s dive into what poverty is, how it’s measured, and what life is like for those struggling to make ends meet.
Poverty is a complex issue with various underlying causes. It is often characterised by a lack of access to essential resources and an inability to meet basic needs.
In recent years, you might have heard a lot about the ‘cost-of-living crisis’ in the UK, especially in news segments, social media, and even discussions among friends and family.
In the UK, an estimated 14.5 million people are living in poverty. Poverty can affect people in many different ways, some people may experience some or all of the below:
Food poverty encompasses both the affordability of food and its accessibility within local communities. There is no agreed definition but here are three interpretations that Sustain believes set out the scope of the problem:
Why falling inflation isn’t ending the crisis.
By Tom Clark
What does the inflation rate mean for you? Will prices come down? Here’s what you need to know about whether the cost-of-living crisis will ever end
By Isabella Mcrae
The Trussell Trust, an anti-poverty charity that operates a network of food banks across the UK, reported a 37% increase in the number of three-day emergency food parcels it distributed between 31 March 2022 and 1 April 2023, compared to the year before.
By Brigid Francis-Devine
Governments have tried to ease the pain from record-high inflation that has swept Europe. But they failed to tame a major inflation driver in corporate ‘greedflation’. Now European elections approach with the cost-of-living crisis high on agendas.
By Pascal Hansens and Attila Kálmán
While the global economy is predicted to have a ‘soft landing’, countries like Sudan are facing a cost-of-living catastrophe.
This briefing explains UK poverty statistics, including historical trends and forecasts, and poverty by employment, tenure, ethnicity, disability and region.
By Brigid Francis-Devine
Nearly a fifth of the population struggled with basic needs, it emerges, as charities accuse Government of failing poorest.
By Patrick Butler, Social policy editor
The UK is entering this election year with unacceptably high levels of poverty, appallingly high for some groups. We need a coherent plan with creative policies to end poverty in the UK.
This report looks at the current situation across different groups and regions, and the future prospects for poverty in the UK.
Nearly three in four school staff believe there has been an increase in ‘hygiene poverty’ issues in their school in the last year.
By Eleanor Busby
By Douglas Broom
By Sarah Ingram
An ActionAid poll has found that the number of UK women and people who menstruate who are struggling to afford period products has risen from 12% to 21% in one year.
By Hollie Pycroft
The prefixes ‘food’, ‘child’ or ‘fuel’ make life for 14 million poor Britons seem easily fixable. In truth, radical action is needed.
By Aditya Chakrabortty
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