The Bank of England has been doing its own evaluation of the impact of austerity and the results reveal that the worst effects are falling on the poorest, children and the sick or disabled. Nick Bailey examines the findings.
Below you can access a variety of documents relating to the 1968/69 'Poverty in the UK' research survey and for a detailed study of large families that was part of this overall project. The documents also cover material produced for Peter Townsend's book of the survey, Poverty in the UK (1979). They cover research notes, survey design, correspondence, letters and chapter drafts for the Townsend book.
These documents provide an insight into the thinking that lay behind the study, the refinement of the research process as the study progressed, and the discussions - and, at times, disagreements - that surrounded it.
What constitutes good well-being for disabled young people differs little from that of their non-disabled peers but what is different, argues Grace Kelly, is the high reliance on family/carers for facilitating opportunities for these young people to take part in activities and engage socially with their peers. Drawing on conversations with disabled adolescents, ‘Improving the Well-being of Disabled Young People’ sets out key messages to inform policy.
Read the Journal papers coming from the PSE research. The latest paper examines how analyses of the micro paradata ‘by-products’ from the 1967/1968 Poverty in the United Kingdom (PinUK) and 2012 Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK (PSE) surveys highlight changes in the conditions of survey production over this 45 year period in the latest output from the PSE research.
Rupert Harwood discusses research which he undertook between 2011 and 2013 which indicates that Government spending cuts have made it harder for disabled workers to remain in employment.
A report by MPs has criticised the Department for Work and Pensions for a series of cases in which official statistics were used to 'spin' stories about benefit claimants, thereby encouraging 'negative preconceptions and prejudices'.
Some families cannot afford the basic necessities a disabled child is entitled to under international law in order to live a dignified life, according to a study prepared for the children's rights watchdog for England.
The study was conducted by a team from the Centre for Children and Young People's Participation at the University of Central Lancashire. It explores disabled children’s experiences of living in low-income families, based on interviews and group discussions involving 78 disabled children/young people and 17 parents.
Disabled people are having to make increasing use of doorstep loans, according to a survey carried out for the disability charity Scope. The survey found that one in ten disabled people have resorted to the loans, compared with just 3 per cent of the general population.
Disabled people in Scotland are having to go without essentials such as food, heating and clothes to make up for the loss in their income caused by the 'bedroom tax', say campaigners.
The findings come from a survey by an independent market research company. Over 100 responses were received from disabled people who filled in a paper questionnaire or completed an online version.