2-and-a-half-minute read
Dermot Feenan
LLB MA LLM Barrister-at-Law FRSA
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A publication by Peter Matejic and Rachelle Earwaker of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows alarmingly high rates of very deep poverty (defined as those earning below 40% of median income after housing costs) among many minority ethnic groups in the UK.
The chart below, taken from Ethnicity and the Heightened Risk of Very Deep Poverty by Matejic and Earwaker illustrates these differential rates of poverty by ethnicity.
As Matejic and Earwaker note, some of the patterns of very deep poverty with reference to ethnicity are similar to the well-known patterns in overall poverty.
A close look at the chart reveals extensive poverty in particular groups.
In almost every main ethnic group (except white and those of Indian heritage) at least 1 in 4 of their respective working-age households are in poverty. For Asian/ Asian British – Pakistani people, that proportion is almost half. For those of Bangladeshi heritage, it’s 55%.
High rates of very deep poverty exist in 4 groups, greater in each group than those in the group in ‘non-deep’ poverty (< 60% of median income after housing costs), including:
• Black/ African/ Caribbean/ Black British
• Asian/ Asian British (not Indian/ Pakistani/ Bangladeshi).
Another ethnic group, Asian/ Asian British – Chinese, has the highest proportion of its members (almost twice as many) in deep poverty than in ‘non-deep’ poverty.
The group with the second highest such proportion is ‘other ethnic group’. Further research is needed here.
The research also shows high levels in all households of being in arrears or going without essentials, with highest levels among Black/ African/ Caribbean/ Black British households (almost a third greater than white households) (see chart below).
With additional data showing higher rates of hardship for some minority ethnic groups, the research underscores the need to monitor and analyse data with reference to ethnicity in order to see, understand, and solve poverty in all its complexity.
The data overall reinforces a picture, increasingly detailed by research elsewhere, of deepening poverty generally in the UK (see, for example, Going without: deepening poverty in the UK), with pronounced need among particular ethnic groups.
Office of National Statistics data on the eve of the pandemic revealed significant levels of child poverty among some minority ethnic groups, including among Black and Pakistani and Bangladeshi households, with reference to education outcomes.
Research by the House of Commons Library showed, as of 1 October 2020, that Black pupils were especially overrepresented among those receiving Free School Meals – a widely accepted proxy indicator for poverty amongst school age pupils.
In July 2022, Morgan Wild, Head of Policy, Citizens Advice, revealed data on the cost of living – including with reference to clients’ ethnicity.
Proportionately, more people of colour than white people have recently sought help from Citizens Advice with debt issues where they are in a negative budget, a trend that started between the third and final quarter of 2020 (see graph below).
Behind these data are individuals, including anxious working parents needing foodbanks and retirees on low pensions worried at surging costs. If you or anyone you know is struggling, there are organisations – such as Citizens Advice – who can help.
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© Dermot Feenan 2022