A minimum income standard for the UK in 2011

JRF's annual update is based on what members of the public think people need to achieve a socially acceptable standard of living.

Over time, changes in prices affect the cost of a minimum standard of living (MIS), and changes in social norms change the “minimum” that is required. This study considers both of these, and updates the MIS budgets to April 2011.

This report shows:

• what incomes different family types require in 2011 to meet the minimum standard; and
• how much the cost of a minimum household budget has risen since the last update in 2010.

This update of MIS is based on increases in living costs. The findings also reflect important changes in the tax and benefits systems, which affect how well people living on benefits can afford necessities and how much people in work need to earn in order to reach a minimum net income.

The research describes how people on lower incomes are feeling the squeeze caused by a combination of sluggish income growth, relatively rapid price increases, and tax and benefit changes.

Summary (PDF 4pp 0.2MB)
Full report (PDF 29pp 0.4MB)
E-book (PDF 29pp 0.5MB)

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