POVERTY

A minimum income standard for Britain in 2009 (1st July 2009)
This study updates 2008’s innovative research, based on what members of the public thought people need for an acceptable minimum standard of living.

It shows:

• What different family types need to earn to meet the minimum income standard;
• How much the cost of a minimum household budget has risen since the original research in 2008.

Exploratory research with members of the public involved in the 2008 project suggests that even in today’s tough economic climate, people maintain their view of what things are needed to participate fully in society. As such, this is an important contribution to debates about what is happening to living standards and poverty during the recession.
Report

Building public support for eradicating poverty in the UK (6th July 2009)
A look at different ways of building public support for tackling UK poverty.

Public support is necessary to encourage Government action to tackle UK poverty. However, building public support for this can be challenging. This study:

• looks at successful ways of building public support for tackling UK poverty, including the use of 'real life' stories, for example;
• explores how organisations measure the effectiveness of their initiatives;
• finds that only few initiatives explicitly aim to build public support for the UK poverty agenda – and these initiatives tend to change perceptions and behaviour rather than attitudes; and
• argues that the term 'poverty' needs to be clarified, and possibly avoided when first engaging people.

Report

Poverty in the media: Being seen and getting heard (6th July 2009)
Public understanding of poverty in the UK is limited. The media can give people with experience of poverty the opportunity to present their views, experiences and opinions, which can help to inform and create a groundswell of public opinion supporting efforts to tackle poverty.This study focuses on:

• how people can give their views and tell their stories when they are presented as 'case studies' in the press, on radio or television;
• the roles and responsibilities of voluntary and community organisations in helping journalists find case study individuals – and the issues those individuals should consider;
• opportunities in the 'new' media to produce and disseminate material, and the challenge of reaching an audience;
• the need to produce accessible, good-quality material that people will pass on;
• viral' media and developing online communities.

Report