This Joseph Rowntree Foundation report looks at current public attitudes to poverty and how views have changed since the 2008 financial crash
It examines public attitudes to the cause of poverty.
- Welfare cuts were not seen by many as the real cause of poverty.
- If stable, well-paid employment were available and the cost of living lower, fewer people would need to rely on welfare in the first place.
- Welfare cuts were seen as a cause of poverty in cases where a person who was unable to work because of ill-health or disability was not being provided with the support needed to meet basic needs.
When considering individuals and poverty the report divided causes into two types:
- Circumstances outside an individual’s control, such as ill-health, caring or disability.
- Decisions made by people which caused them to be poor (the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor).
You can download the report at http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/public-attitudes-towards-poverty