Research: Wealth in the downturn: winners and losers
This is a piece of research from the Social Market Foundation (SMF) into wealth, but in particular the lack of financial resilience among lower paid workers.Go to SMF website to download the report Wealth in the downturn: winners and losers (If this link breaks please let me know)The SMF says about the reportOur analysis is based on the UK Longitudinal Household Survey (also known as Understanding Society) and its predecessor, the British Household Panel Study (BHPS). These surveys provide data on thousands of households from across the UK. Unlike most surveys, Understanding Society and BHPS track the same individuals over time. This means that they can be used to go beyond simple analysis of snapshots in time, to examine the specific changes that individuals experience over a number of years.Those on the lowest incomes have not built up their financial resilience. On average, they have less than six days’ worth of income in savings. Just under a quarter of them hold non-mortgage debt; and that debt is, on average, equivalent to around 28% of their income.There is a need to support those on the lower incomes and younger age groups to save more.
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