This is a deck I put together for a poverty charity\'s awayday - drawing on our own work and published data...

1. Public attitudes to poverty and child poverty

2. Contents
1. Poverty in the UK
• Context
• Importance
• Attitudes to people in poverty
2. Child poverty in the UK
• Awareness & recognition
• Importance
• Attitudes to children in poverty and their families
3. Guidelines for campaigning and communicating about
child poverty

3. Poverty in the UK
Context
Importance
Attitudes to people in poverty

4. People are hunkered down and focusing on the
aspects of life that they can control
“I Just feel like I’ve got
no way of affecting
Britain what goes on out there
– especially now that
14% it’s all about Europe…”
Optimistic
Where I live & “I am definitely
working harder – I
work need the company to
34% “Shopping in a
do well, and I need
to keep my job”
Optimistic few different
“We’ve been places,
doing a lot getting “I think I’m just
more simple coupons, that focusing on how
cheap treats sort of thing” much I spend,
52% with the kids” what I buy, making
things last longer.”
Optimistic Me & my family
Sources:
YouGov;
BritainThinks
qualita8ve
data

5. Economic concerns are a lens for everything
right now
Thinking about the next two or three years, how worried are you that people like you will...
Not
have
enough
Suffer
directly
Lose
their
job/
money
to
live
from
cuts
in
have
difficulty
Lose
their
home
comfortably
public
services
finding
work
65%
66%
59%
42%
60%
“the
cuts
are
having
an
impact
on
my
own
life”
Sources:
YouGov,
Sept
2012

6. People who see themselves as “working class”
are almost all living hand-to-mouth
% who say ‘I have savings which are equal to % who have defaulted on a loan/mortgage in
or greater than one month of my salary’ the last 2 years
Middle Class 61% Middle Class 6%
Working Class 33% Working Class 14%
% who say ‘It would be a big financial
% who say ‘I have enough savings to feel problem for me if I had to replace a large
secure about my future’
item’
Middle Class 32% Middle Class 32%
Working Class 13% Working Class 56%
47% of ‘working class’ identifiers have a household income under £20k. 62% have
household incomes under £28k (‘middle class’ identifiers = 22% and 34% respectively)
Source:
BritainThinks
2010/11,

7. Most of the public think there is definitely poverty in the
UK today – but it’s not a ‘top issue’ in itself
Increased 48%
Quite a lot of poverty in
58% Over
the
Britain today
last
10
Stayed the same 34% years,
poverty
has
…
Very little poverty in
39%
Britain today Decreased 14%
Economy 61%
Increase 56%
Unemployment 35%
Over
the
Immigration/race 23% next
10
Stay the same 29% years,
NHS 18% poverty
will
…
Inflation/prices 15% Main/other
important
issues
Decrease 11%
Poverty/inequality 10% facing
Britain
Sources:
BSA,
2011;
Ipsos
Mori,
Aug
2012

8. The view that poverty is one of the main issues
facing Britain is on the rise …
12
10
8
6
POVERTY
4
2
0
Jan-­‐07
Jul-­‐07
Jan-­‐08
Jul-­‐08
Jan-­‐09
Jul-­‐09
Jan-­‐10
Jul-­‐10
Jan-­‐11
Jul-­‐11
Jan-­‐12
Jul-­‐12
Source:
BritainThinks
analysis
of
Ipsos
Mori
data

9. … but nowhere near as steep as other economic
concerns
80
70
60
50
POVERTY
40
ECONOMY
UNEMPLOYMENT
30
20
10
0
Jan-07 Jul-07 Jan-08 Jul-08 Jan-09 Jul-09 Jan-10 Jul-10 Jan-11 Jul-11 Jan-12 Jul-12
Source:
BritainThinks
analysis
of
Ipsos
Mori
data

10. For many in the UK, poverty is a matter of
desert, not unfairness
Why
do
people
live
in
need?
How
many
welfare
recipients
are
“scroungers”
who
lie
about
their
circumstances
or
deliberately
refuse
to
take
work?
Poverty is inevitable in Very few, if any 3%
37%
modern life
A small minority 25%
A significant minority 39%
Laziness / lack of will
26%
power
Around half 22% 68%
Most 7%
Injustice in society 19%
If
someone
is
not
ill
and
they’ve
been
unemployed
for
more
than
a
year,
it’s
probably
because
they’re
not
trying
hard
enough
to
find
work
Unlucky 12%
48%
Agree
28%
Disagree
Source:
YouGov,
Jan
2012;
BritainThinks,
2010

11. Fairness is about the undeserving getting too
much (not the deserving getting too little)
69%
“Britain’s
welfare
system
has
created
a
culture
of
dependency,
whereby
many
people,
and
oSen
whole
families,
get
used
to
living
off
state
benefits…
”
“The
government
pays
out
too
much
in
benefits;
welfare
levels
overall
should
be
reduced” 74%
say
whether
…
For
each
of
these
groups
please
Unemployed
people
…
Single
parents
who
have
never
married
…
Income tax should fall, to pay for
42% 29%
less support
Keep the balance as it is 32% 44%
Income tax rates should rise to pay
7% 6%
for more support
Source:
YouGov,
Jan
2012;

12. Feeling the pinch (or being worse off) doesn’t
necessarily build empathy …
Under
£10,000
-­‐
£20,000
–
TOTAL
£10,000
£19,999
£29,999
A small minority/
28% 36% 23% 33%
very few
A significant
39% 37% 40% 38%
minority
Half/ a majority 29% 23% 33% 31%
How
many
welfare
recipients
are
“scroungers”
who
lie
about
their
circumstances
or
deliberately
refuse
to
take
work?
(by
combined
household
income)
Source:
BritainThinks
analysis
of
YouGov
data,
Jan
2012;

13. … especially for those close to the cliff edge
Under
£10,000
-­‐
£20,000
–
TOTAL
£10,000
£19,999
£29,999
A small minority/
28% 36% 23% -­‐5
33%
very few
A significant
39% 37% 40% 38%
minority
Half/ a majority 29% 23% 33% +4
31%
How
many
welfare
recipients
are
“scroungers”
who
lie
about
their
circumstances
or
deliberately
refuse
to
take
work?
(by
combined
household
income)
Source:
BritainThinks
analysis
of
YouGov
data,
Jan
2012;

14. In our focus groups, even the poorest often refer
to another, ‘lower’, class …
“That’s: ‘I’m pregnant, I’m getting a house
for nothing. I’ve got four kids and no old
man”
“They’re not working
“The thing is, we pay
class, because they don’t
for these people”
bloody work”
… people who don’t work and, more importantly,
“don’t want to work”

15. No matter where in the social scale people are, they are
anxious to differentiate themselves from “the scrounger”…
“[they] would know more about the benefits system
than all of us put together”
“I’ve worked most of my life – she’s “That’s not working class,
never done a days’ work in hers” that’s a yob”
… none more so than those who are “I may be out of work, but I
themselves out of work or reliant on want to work, I’m looking
hard for work … and that’s
benefits the difference”

16. So what about child poverty?
Awareness & recognition
Importance
Attitudes to children in poverty and their families

17. The majority think there is at least some child
poverty, and the assumption is it’s getting worse
Quite a lot of child poverty Increased 46%
36%
in Britain today
Over
the
last
10
Some child poverty in Stayed the same 35% years,
child
43%
Britain today poverty
has
…
None/very little child Decreased 12%
18%
poverty in Britain today
Fewer than 20 in 100
42%
children live in poverty
Increase 51%
20 - 29 18% Over
the
next
10
30 - 49 20% Stay the same 29% years,
child
poverty
50 - 69 23% will
…
Decrease 14%
70+ 5%
Sources:
BSA,
2011

18. Considered on its own, child poverty is felt to be a very
important issue (and one for the Government to resolve)
Very important 82%
Quite important 16%
How important do
you think it is to
Not very important 1%
reduce child
Not at all important 0% poverty in Britain?
Central Government (eg Parliament,
79%
Which of the government departments)
following groups Local Government (eg local councils) 60%
are responsible
People in poverty themselves (inc.
parents) 46%
for reducing child Friends/relatives of people in
poverty 32%
poverty in Britain? Charities 28%
Sources:
BSA,
2011

19. The causes of child poverty are all about
characteristics of the parents
Main
A
reason
reason
Parents suffer from addiction 19% 75%
Parents don't want to work 15% 63%
Parents lack education 10% 51%
Family breakdown/loss of
10% 56%
parent
Parents aren't paid enough 9% 44%
Parents are long term
6% 50%
unemployed
Inequalities in society 5% 25%
Poor quality area 5% 44%
Benefits are not high enough 4% 19%
Too many children in family 3% 39%
Source:
BritainThinks
analysis
of
YouGov
data,
Jan
2012;

20. The public are in two minds about child poverty
Poorer parents are often Children in poverty deserve
given short shrift compassion
• “Everyone’s struggling - if I can • Children are innocents
do it why can’t they?” • Their parents’ choices
shouldn’t impact their
• Benefits are resented chances
• Starting point is that ‘people in
the middle are being taken for a
ride’ • Aversion to ‘denying’
children support or
• Sensitised to symbols of opportunities
parents’ failings • Language of denial avoids
• “expensive brands” cigarettes, the “largesse” of benefits
alcohol, etc, all demonstrate
wrong priorities
• Deep empathy when
• Unless faced with an innocent thinking about their
child, it’s hard to separate from feelings for their own kids
the “indolent” parent

21. Guidelines for campaigning and
communicating

22. 1 Children, not parents
Parents have made their choices, this is about innocent kids
2 Stories, not stats
The opposition deal in stories and symbols – you need to respond in kind
Stats tend towards debates around the definition of poverty, etc…
3 Empathy trumps sympathy
Choose examples that everyone can identify with, not just feel sorry for
4 Focus on denial, rather than support
The benefits narrative is toxic, you need to frame this in a different way
5 Children, not teens
The older they get, the more responsible they are – rehabilitating young
people is for a different campaign!
… and if you can show a concrete benefit to people who aren’t in poverty, that
would really help