Persistence of poverty is rising

Being a poor teenager increases your chances of living in poverty as an adult, research published today by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found.

The persistence of poverty is rising, according to the study. The increased likelihood of poverty in later life for poor teenagers is “twice as strong” in the 1980s as 1970s, it revealed.

“The results suggest that initiatives to improve skills and employment opportunities are probably the only sensible way to tackle the problem of persistent poverty,” concludes the research.

The study compares teenagers from the 1970s with those from the 1980s.