View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
8 December 2015

Life on a low income is one of struggle, not luxury

As our research shows, the myths about the poor are just that, says John Hood.

By John Hood

For the most part we’re told a pretty simple story on poverty. Those who are poor are feckless, idle, and wasteful, those who are rich are sensible, hard-working, and prudent. Most will be familiar with stories of the luxurious lifestyles those on ‘benefits’ apparently lead, groaning under the weight of new TVs, designer trainers and the latest non-essential frippery. You’ll also be familiar with stories of the savvy ‘middle class’ (i.e. those on £150,000, or to you and me, the richest 1%) looking for the best options to squirrel away a nest egg for their retirement.

The problem with this concept of poverty isn’t that it appears to adopt ‘man in a pub’ anecdotes as it’s basis, it’s that it also wilfully, almost vindictively, ignores evidence that contradicts it.

Every year the Office of National Statistics produces its Family Spending publication, a huge tome of data on the spending habits of households, broken down by income decile. It’s a hugely detailed account of household spending, and it provides a perfect opportunity to test these claims of rich diligence and poor profligacy.

So do the poor waste their money on spending splurges? Not exactly, in fact, the richest 10 per cent of households spend more per week on furniture and furnishings (£43.40), than the poorest spend on food (£30.40). It’s possible to argue that poverty is about reckless lifestyle choices and wasteful spending, but that’s a hard argument to make when the richest appear to spend more on scatter cushions than the poorest do on feeding their families.

‘What about those expensive trainers?’ you might ask. Well the richest spend more on their pets (£9.20 a week) then the poorest do on clothing and footwear (£6.70). ‘OK, it’s the money they waste on booze and fags then,’ nope, the richest 10 per cent spends as much on alcohol and tobacco each week as the poorest does on their gas and electricity bills (£18.70). Unconvinced? Let’s try one more. The richest 10 per cent spends more on wine (£8.70 per week) than the poorest spends on water bills (£6.90).

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Anyone who has lived in poverty, or who even has a passing interest in its causes and its symptoms, knows that it is not a life of luxury, it is a life of hard, daily grind. The decisions people make are about whether to heat their kid’s food or keep the radiator on, not on whether to buy Nike or Adidas.

As inconvenient and embarrassing as it may be to some, real deprivation does exist in our modern, wealthy country. And despite worrying plans by the Government to redefine poverty as an issue of access to opportunity, poverty is still very much an issue of income.

Poverty and deprivation also tells us a lot about how grotesquely unequal our country has become. As the rungs on the ladder have widened, it’s become harder and harder to move up. More importantly, it has become harder for people to see those below them as worthy of respect and support. A more equal society is one that treats poverty as an unacceptable stain on our conscience, and a vital challenge to overcome. An unequal one shrugs its shoulders and says it’s a result of poor people being lazy and buying tat. That’s not good enough, and we owe it to ourselves and others to have a far more honest debate about the reality of poverty.

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU