Households on Inadequate Incomes Increase by A Fifth in Three Years

New research shows the number of households living on incomes below the level needed to afford an adequate standard of living has increased by a fifth (900,000) in three years. Among the 20 million households whose minimum needs are calculated in the research, the number falling short of the standard needed has increased by a fifth since 2008/9 - from 3.8 million to 4.7 million households - following the onset of the recession, cuts to benefits and tax credits and the rising cost of essentials. Most of the increase came in the final year of the three-year period. Income adequacy is measured by the Minimum Income Standard (MIS), which is what the public think we all need for a minimum socially acceptable standard of living in the UK. The report reveals how many households live below the minimum amount needed, how far they are below and who they are. Download a copy of the report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website.