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Question 1
Now you have looked at definitions of poverty and social exclusion, we will turn our attention to some key facts and figures about poverty and its effects in the UK.
This quiz is based on government figures on child poverty published for 2004 to 2005. The most commonly used measure for poverty is based on income 'after the deduction of housing costs'.
Question 1:
For the year 2004 to 2005, which of these four figures do you think reflects the number of children living in poverty?
Department of Work and Pensions (2005)
Click on one of the four options below.
Page 2 of 20
Answer
The answer is 3.4 million children living in poverty for the year 2004-2005. This is just under a third of the children in the United Kingdom.
Page 3 of 20
Question 2
Poverty and social exclusion affect families in different ways and various measures are used to measure its impacts. Researchers from the New Policy Institute developed a series of reliable indicators of the degree of exclusion suffered by different groups in the population including children and families
Three of the following indicators are not reliable ways of estimating the degree of exclusion suffered by different groups in the population. Which three do you think it is?
Once you have decided click on NEXT for the answer.
- Number of children living in workless households
- Low birth weight babies
- Accidental deaths
- Having a height of less than 1.75 metres
- Low attainment at school
- Shopping at Primark
- Permanent exclusion from school
- Low rates of vegetarianism
- Births to girls conceiving under 16
- The number of children aged 10-16 in young offender institutions
Howarth et al (2001)
Page 3 of 20
Answer
- Shopping at Primark
- Low rates of vegetarianism
- Having a height of less than 1.75 metres
A series of reliable indicators of the degree of exclusion suffered by different groups in the population including children and families were created by the New Policy Institute.
It is worth noting that in many deprived areas one of the difficulties which parents face is getting access to affordable healthy food, including fresh fruit and vegetables.
The phrase 'food desert' is often used to describe this situation and initiatives have been developed to support parents including food co-operatives in community projects.
One of these initiatives is the Sure Start Local Programme Initiative which aims to support healthy eating in the 520 most deprived areas of the country.
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Question 3
A major study by UNICEF measured children's material well-being in economically advanced nations.
To calculate this they used three different components - relative income poverty, children in households without an employed adult and direct measures of deprivation.
Look at the ranking of countries below. How well do you think the UK did? Where do you think the UK's correct place in the ranking should be?
- Sweden
- Norway
- Denmark
- Canada
- France
- Netherlands
- Spain
- Australia
- Italy
- Greece
- Japan
- Portugal
- United States
- Ireland
- Poland
UNICEF (2007)
Once you have decided click on NEXT for the answer.
Page 5 of 20
Answer
As you can see the UK came in 14th place in terms of the material well-being of its children. In addition, this study considered five additional dimensions for children. These were:
- Health and safety
- Educational well-being
- Family and peer relationships
- Behaviours and risks [and]
- Subjective well-being
When all these additional dimensions were considered, the United Kingdom's children came in last in comparison all the countries studied.
Page 6 of 20
Question 4
Some groups have a much greater than average risk of experiencing poverty and social exclusion, such as lone parents and asylum seekers.
Look at the statements below and decide if they are true or false.
- The proportion of lone parents in income poverty is 47% compared to 20% of those in couple households
- Almost half of children of Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Black African origin are growing up in poverty
- In a survey of organisations working with asylum-seekers in England and Scotland, 85% reported that their clients experience hunger due to poverty
- Children living in households with a low income where there is one or more disabled adult is 38% compared with 26% where there is no disabled adult.
Flaherty, et al (2004), Platt (2007), Penrose (2002), DWP (2005)
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Answer
- True - The proportion of lone parents in income poverty is 47% compared to 20% of those in couple households
The majority of single parents are women and this is one factor that makes women at greater risk of poverty than men.
- False - Almost half of children of Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Black African origin are growing up in poverty
The majority of children of Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Black African origin are growing up in poverty, with the highest proportion, 70%, found among Bangladeshi children.
- True - In a survey of organisations working with asylum-seekers in England and Scotland, 85% reported that their clients experience hunger due to poverty
In addition 95% of the organisations working with asylum-seekers reported that their clients cannot afford to buy clothes or shoes.
- True - Children living in households with a low income where there is one or more disabled adult is 38% compared with 26% where there is no disabled adult.
Children who are themselves disabled, or who have a disabled sibling, are also at greater risk of poverty (31% compared with 27% of those in households with no disabled children).
Page 8 of 20
Question 5
A route out of poverty for families can be paid work, however for many families, due to low pay this will not necessarily be the case. Half of the children living in poverty in 2004/5 belonged to households where someone was doing paid work.
The minimum wage was introduced in April 1999. Do you know how much the minimum hourly wage is, as of October 2007, for those aged 22 years and over?
IRF (2006)
Click on the correct amount below.
Page 9 of 20
Answer
The hourly rate for the minimum wage in October 2007 was £5.52 for over 22 year olds.
A route out of poverty for families can be paid work, however for many families, due to low pay this will not necessarily be the case.
The minimum wage, with one parent working full-time would put the children in that family (assuming just two children) far below the poverty line. With both parents working, one full time and one part time, on the minimum wage, the children would still be well below the poverty line. Half of the children living in poverty in 2004/5 belonged to households where someone was doing paid work. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2006).
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Question 6 part 1
Read the question below and click on the correct answer.
How many times more likely are children in social class V to die in an accident than children in social class I?
Department of Health (2002)
Social Class definitions:
- social class I -Professional
- social class II - Intermediate
- social class III - Skilled manual/non-manual
- social class IV - Partly skilled
- social class V - Unskilled
Page 11 of 20
Question 6 part 2
Read the question below and click on the correct answer.
How many times more likely are children in social class V to die in a fire than children in social class I?
Department of Health (2002)
Social Class definitions:
- social class I -Professional
- social class II - Intermediate
- social class III - Skilled manual/non-manual
- social class IV - Partly skilled
- social class V - Unskilled
Page 12 of 20
Answer
Part 1. 5 times more likely
Part 2. 15 times more likely
Children in social social class V are 5 times more likely to die in an accident and 15 times more likely to die in a fire than children in social class I.
As you can see children from low income families are significantly more at risk. Environmental factors play a part in these higher rates for poor children. Poorer children are more likely to live in sub-standard housing and in areas with few amenities and often limited space for safe play.
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Question 7
In 2004, 56.1% of children who paid for their own school meals got 5 or more GCSE's at grades A-C. How many children receiving free school meals do you think got 5 or more GCSE's at grades A-C?
DFES (2004)
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Answer
26.1% of children receiving free school meals attained 5 or more GCSE's at grades A-C.
Research evidence clearly demonstrates a strong and enduring link, between poverty and educational attainment. Whilst school exclusion rates are linked with a child's socio-economic background, the child's ethnicity also is a factor, with Black Caribbean boys being particularly at risk (McGlone, 2001).
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Question 8
How many times more likely are you to have a mother suffering from maternal depression if you are a child living in poverty?
Mayhew, E. and Bradshaw, (2005)
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Answer
2.25 times more likely
Children living in poverty are 2.25 times more likely to have a mother with maternal depression.
Managing poverty and protecting children from its worst effects can be stressful and this can damage parents' physical and mental health, morale and self-esteem. The Millennium Cohort Study examined the impact of poverty on the probability of having a mother who experiences maternal depression.
Provision of effective family support services that address both the practical and emotional needs of vulnerable parents and children are particularly important in the first few years of a child's life.
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Question 9
What percentage of rural children do you think live in poverty and what percentage of lone parent households in rural areas live on low incomes?
End Child Poverty (2003)
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Answer
20% of rural children live in poverty.
10% of lone parent households in rural areas on on low incomes.
Poverty is often regarded as an urban problem and when we think of poverty we tend to think of slums and desolate housing estates but there are significant levels of poverty and social exclusion in rural England. These levels pose particular challenges for both the families and the services that attempt to support them.
- They are often 'invisible' to policy makers as they are spread out across many areas and the belief in a 'rural idyll' means their needs are often overlooked;
- Often members of black and minority ethnic groups are in a minority and can experience racism;
- The closure of banks, shops, leisure centres, social services etc can make access difficult and there may be a dearth of recreational and play facilities for children and young people;
- A lack of transport complicates access to everything and there may be extra costs of transport;
- The migration of second home owners makes housing too expensive as well as reducing its availability;
- Finally, problems with the cost of, and access to, child care makes employment very difficult as a way out of poverty.
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Question 10
A study in 2000 investigated the link between adoption and mothers' circumstances. What percentage of these birth mothers, whose children were adopted, do you think were working in either professional managerial or skilled occupations? Click on the correct percentage below.
Ivaldi, 2000
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Answer
3% of birth mothers of adopted children were working in professional or managerial roles.
Poverty and social exclusion are the most striking characteristics of children and families involved with social services, and children permanently separated from their family of origin are predominantly children of the poor.
Studies (Ivaldi, 2000) into the circumstances of birth mothers whose children were subsequently adopted, found that 89% of these birth mothers were not working when a decision was made that it was in their child's best interest to be adopted.
An overview report of the findings of twenty-four Department of Health funded research studies on the operation of the Children Act 1989, concluded:
'There is no doubt that living in enduring poverty remains a major problem for many of the families of children in need and places them at risk of being socially excluded. The studies have poignantly chronicled the circumstances of children and their families, including care leavers. Social isolation, poor health and poor esteem are common problems'.
(Department of Health, 2001)
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