Living standards

Londoners may have the highest average incomes, but their household spending once you account for housing costs is lower than other regions.

On average, London local authorities rank at the top of the income distribution, but are bottom of the net-of-housing consumption distribution.

Measuring living standards using average household spending gives a starkly different picture of regional inequalities than using average income.

Over 20 years since they were introduced, tax credits have now been replaced by universal credit. How did they change the UK welfare system?

Latest OBR forecasts suggest living standards will rise by just 0.6% per year over the current parliament.

The latest official statistics on household incomes show dramatic falls, but there is reason to doubt their reliability.

Mitigating the two-child limit policy would be an effective way to reduce child poverty, but designing an effective policy is not straightforward. 

On top of inherited plans, personal tax and benefit measures will on average reduce incomes by £1,400 over this parliament. 

The forecast for the current parliament suggests that it will be the second worst on record for household income growth.

Relative child poverty has increased. Which children are most likely to be affected? What policies would most effectively reduce child poverty?

Over a fifth of government spending goes on pay. We examine recruitment and retention challenges which mean that pressures could mount going forward.

This online event presented the key findings from our latest flagship annual report on living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK.

How well – or badly – has the UK fared on the 12 levelling up missions? We examine early progress and the scale of the challenge ahead.