Sociology of Poverty in Britain

The first 200 words of this essay...

Sociology of Poverty in Britain

a) Using the information in item A, identify two trends in the growth of poverty amongst British households in the 1980's and 1990's.

The report, Poverty and Social Exclusion in Britain, shows that the proportion of households living in poverty rose from 14 to 24 % between 1983 and 1999. This indicates a significant increase in the phenomenon of poverty throughout Britain as a whole. In 1999 almost a quarter of households were experiencing poverty in Britain compared to less than a sixth in 1983.

However, the growth of poverty was most rapid in the 1980s when 1% of households became 'poor' each year. During the 1990s this figure fell to 0.3% a year. This statistic suggests that although poverty is continuing to rise the trend is heading towards a plateau or 'critical mass' of poverty. i.e. if trends continue the rate of poverty will cease to increase and a consistent proportion of the population will experience poverty each year.

b) Using the data in Item B, identify two main changes in the percentage share of the national income between 1979 and 1995.

Data such as the Family Expenditure Survey