PSE in Northern Ireland 1 The Poverty Challenge in Northern Ireland Mike Tomlinson Sociology and Social Policy Queen’s University Belfast CASE Social Exclusion Seminar LSE, 10th December 2003

PSE in Northern Ireland 2 Why a PSE survey? a) no publicly available income data (new earnings survey, LFS, FES, CHS) b) no NI-wide poverty survey since Townsend (1968) c) Robson and Noble multiple deprivation indexes and (new) Targeting Social Need d) equality monitoring deficits e.g. social security data, religion, children

PSE in Northern Ireland 3 a) to provide a baseline measurement of PSE in N. Ireland b) to provide data on the extent to which poverty impacts across the nine dimensions of equality specified in Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and c) to provide data which allow Northern Ireland to be compared with the results of the British PSE Survey, HBAI and poverty levels in the Republic of Ireland. Key objectives:

PSE in Northern Ireland 4 1. Income based measures eg households below 50% mean or 60% median 2. Income and deprivation indicators combined ‘Consistent poverty’ measure ‘Consensual poverty’ measure Measurement of poverty – two broad approaches

PSE in Northern Ireland 5 Different equivalence scales PSE NI weekly household incomes Raw PSE McCl OECD RoI Mean Median

PSE in Northern Ireland 6 PSE 1 McClements 2 Modified RoI (A) OECD First Adult Spouse Other Second Adult Third Adult Subsequent Adults Children aged < 14yrs Children aged 14yrs Notes 1. The PSE scale weights the first child at 0.35 and each additional child at 0.3. If the head of the household is a lone parent 0.1 is added. 2. The McClements scale has more age groups than shown above: 0-1 = 0.09; 2-4 = 0.18; 5-7 = 0.21; 8-10 = 0.23; = 0.25; = 0.27; 16 and over = 0.36.

PSE in Northern Ireland 7 Proportion of persons in households below relative income thresholds using different equivalence scales

PSE in Northern Ireland 8 1.Survey 1: which items are ‘necessities’? 2.Survey 2: necessities which people can’t afford 3.Select necessities which are robust indicators of deprivation 4.Maximise difference between ‘poor’ and ‘non-poor’ groups and minimise the difference within those groups 5.Produce poverty threshold Steps in the consensual poverty measure

PSE in Northern Ireland 9 Necessities – examples (1) Omnibus Have Can’t ‘necessary’ afford FOOD Fresh fruit & veg every day HOUSING Pay heating/electricity/’phone bills on time Replace worn out furniture CLOTHES Warm, waterproof coat Good clothes for job interviews New not 2nd hand clothes INFORMATION Telephone8195 3

PSE in Northern Ireland 10 Necessities – examples (2) Omnibus Have Can’t ‘necessary’ afford DURABLE GOODS Replace/repair goods e.g. fridge, washing machine Car PERSONAL FINANCES Access to decent pension Home contents insurance SOCIAL Family days out One weeks annual holiday away from home605724

PSE in Northern Ireland 11 Which necessities do poor households lack? % Replacing worn out furniture77 Regular savings (£10 per month)72 One week holiday67 Replacing/repairing fridge/washing machine66 Access to a decent pension61 Enough to pay heating, electricity, phone bills on time25 Enough to keep home decently decorated37 Home contents insurance35 Good clothes for job interviews21 Two pairs of strong shoes20 New not 2nd hand clothes19 Fresh fruit and veg every day16 Meal with meat or fish every other day11

PSE in Northern Ireland 12 Combining low income and deprivation Living in Ireland – ‘consistent poverty’ 1 of 8 pre-determined items plus low income (60 per cent of median) PSE – ‘consensual poverty’ 3 of 29 items defined by popular consensus plus low income

PSE in Northern Ireland % of households were in poverty 37.4% of children were growing up in poor households 185,000 of Northern Ireland's households were in poverty 502,000 people were living in poor households 148,900 children were growing up in poor households Baseline poverty measure:

PSE in Northern Ireland 14 Poverty and Inequality – Section 75 [29.6] Poverty rates by religion of HR 25% of Protestant households 36% of Catholic households (a ratio of 1:1.44) by national identity (not a Section 75 dimension) 25% of ‘British’ households 37% of ‘Irish’ households

PSE in Northern Ireland 15 Poverty and Inequality – Section 75… [29.6] Poverty rates by political opinion 19% Ulster Unionist Party 30% SDLP 32% DUP 43% Sinn Féin (a ratio of 2.26:1UUP)

PSE in Northern Ireland 16 Poverty and Inequality – Section 75… [29.6] Poverty rates by ‘race’ 19% ethnic minority groups by sexual orientation 48% same sex 44% bi-sexual Not reliable or significant

PSE in Northern Ireland 17 Poverty and Inequality – Section 75… [29.6] Poverty rates by age

PSE in Northern Ireland 18 Poverty and Inequality – Section 75… [29.6] Poverty rates by marital status 21% married or cohabiting 39% single 46% divorced 54% separated 67% lone parents

PSE in Northern Ireland 19 2.Poverty and Inequality – Section 75… [29.6] Poverty rates by gender 25% of all men were living in poor households 29% of all women (a ratio of 1: 1.16) Of all adults in poor households: 57 per cent were women RESULTS

PSE in Northern Ireland 20 Poverty and Inequality – Section 75… [29.6] Poverty rates by disability 56% households with one or more disabled people 29% households without disability (a ratio of 1.93:1) 100% of the households in which no-one was working and which contained someone sick or disabled were in poverty

PSE in Northern Ireland 21 Poverty and Inequality – Section 75… [29.6] Poverty rates, with or without dependants 36% childless households in which one adult was caring for another adult, in their own household or elsewhere (18% of all poor households) 32% households caring for children (19% of all poor households)

PSE in Northern Ireland 22 Poverty and Inequality – 64% of individuals have below average incomes (60% in Britain). Top 40% of households together possess 67% of the total household income Gini coefficient for Northern Ireland: 1998/ /03 42

PSE in Northern Ireland 23 Northern Ireland compared – east/west

PSE in Northern Ireland 24 Northern Ireland compared – east/west Proportion of persons living in households below HBAI median income thresholds

PSE in Northern Ireland 25 Northern Ireland compared – north/south Proportion of persons in ‘consistent’ poverty (Ireland, North and South)

PSE in Northern Ireland 26 Northern Ireland compared – north/south Proportion of persons in ‘overall’ poverty – (Ireland, North and South)

PSE in Northern Ireland RoI: Consistent <50% Mean* RoI: Consistent <60% Mean* GB: HBAI <60% Median RoI: Overall <60% Median GB: HBAI <50% Mean RoI: Overall <50% Mean* GB: HBAI <70% Median PSE RoI: Overall <70% Median GB: HBAI <60% Mean RoI: Overall <60% Mean* N. Ireland poverty rates, using different methods of calculation – proportions of persons (*households)

PSE in Northern Ireland 28 Labour market exclusion

PSE in Northern Ireland 29 Poverty and conflict Poverty rate Catholics Protestants (36)(25) Close relative killed54 30 Personally injured40 33 Relative injured48 26 Witnessed murder48 39 Witnessed 3 or more ‘troubles’42 25 Knows people killed & injured47 24 Severe troubles experience52 20

PSE in Northern Ireland 30 Download report at Online necessities questionnaire is at: