Joseph Rowntree Foundation

@jrf-uk.bsky.social

21180 Followers 1410 Following

We work to speed up and support the transition to a future free from poverty, in which people and planet can flourish. https://www.jrf.org.uk/

Square graphic card advertising a webinar by JRF, Frameworks UK and the Nationwide Foundation on talking about Homes and Immigration. Event takes place on Wednesday 10th June from 1-2pm

Square graphic card advertising a webinar by JRF, Frameworks UK and the Nationwide Foundation on talking about Homes and Immigration. Event takes place on Wednesday 10th June from 1-2pm

A video of JRF experts Christine Ellison and Sheena McMullen setting out the impact of elevated costs for people with a disability in Northern Ireland, with a range of backgrounds around a city including a park and a cafe.

Graphic card with a block of flats and a children's playground in the foreground with the text 'Inaction on unaffordable rents is denying many children the stable foundation they need for a good start in life'

Chart showing the share of landlords making above normal pre-tax returns in 2018, 2021 and 2024 against a real estate benchmark, showing that the majority of landlords were earning above the average real estate investment rate of return.

Chart showing JRF modelling of how much different types of rent control would save private renters, versus projected growth in private rents

Card with an image of a block of flats with the text over the top that reads 'Almost 1 in 5 households in the UK now rent privately'

chart showing the price of rents as a share of incomes since the late 1970s, showing a sharp jump when rents became fully unregulated and remaining high at around 30% after the 2008 global financial crisis

Square graphic card advertising a webinar by JRF, Frameworks UK and the Nationwide Foundation on talking about Homes and Immigration. Event takes place on Wednesday 10th June from 1-2pm

Line graph showing comparative savings across income deciles for different energy policies, including a £4.5 billion universal discounted block of energy, with variations for benefits support and just child allowance, as well as a lump sum payment and another Energy Price Guarantee. Graph shows how the universal discounted block achieves the same outcome for lower income households as the EPG but at a lower cost'

Quote card with image of JRF's Principal Policy Adviser Chris Belfield saying:

“The Government needs not just to deliver direct support to families under pressure but also to build new systems that increase resilience and the ability to respond more efficiently and deliberately to the increasing number of crises. A good start would be the introduction of a universal discounted block of essential energy to reduce costs immediately.”

An animated explainer video setting out how a change in methodology will affect poverty rates in the UK

Graph showing how annual household disposable incomes, after housing costs are set to fall by over £500 between now and the end of the parliament (April 2029)

An image of two people, one of them a care worker, linking arms. £9,282. This is the average hidden cost to care providers for each care worker vacancy.

A quote from Abby Jitendra Principal Policy Adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on a report on care workers pay from Cordis Bright. "It's right that the Government is improving care worker pay through Fair Pay Agreements. Care workers aren't paid enough for the important work they do. But low pay doesn't just cost care workers. It makes it harder to recruit and retain staff and the hidden costs are huge. We need better pay for care workers if we want a more productive, fairer care sector."

Illustration of two people sitting on a blue sofa, engaging in conversation. Text at the top reads: "Talking about Homes" and "How people think about homes: signs of recent movement in cultural mindsets." Event details: Date - Thursday, 12th March, Time - 1-2pm. Icons of Nationwide Foundation, JRF, and FrameWorks UK are at the bottom.

A graphic showing a female construction worker wearing a hard hat. The graphic reads "4.2 million working households made up more than two thirds (68.5%) of all the households living below MIS in 2023/34. In 2008/09 closer to half of working households (55.5%) lived below MIS.

A graphic showing a dad playing his son. The text reads, 59.5% of single parents working full-time were below MIS in 2023/24. This is more than double the rate in 2008/9 (28.7%).

A photo of JRF Chief Analyst with a quote about the latest Households Below MIS report. Peter says: When millions of lives continue to be blighted by rising costs and wages that are refusing to catch it's on all political parties to show their commitment to raising living standards. Only by bringing people's costs down and boosting their incomes will people start to feel better off by the end of the decade."

JRF's Taha Bokhari on what carers need to be able to better balance work and care where necessary, and the support needed for carers who cannot work, to reduce their unacceptably high levels of poverty

JRF's Andrew Wenham explains the impact of findings from our recent cost of living tracker, and how this interacts with the results we found in UK Poverty 2026

JRF's Taha Bokhari explains the additional barriers to escaping poverty that disabled people face.

JRF's analyst Fran Ladouch explains the figures and factors behind the high level of in-work poverty in the UK

Jrf's Lead Analyst Joseph Elliot talks about the interaction between housing costs, tenure types and poverty

JRF's Yasmin Ibison explains how structural racism and discrimination affect povertty rates for ethnic minority groups in the UK

JRF's analyst Scot Hunter discusses the geographical breakdown of poverty in the UK

Graph showing that only pensioners will see poverty fall beyond April 2026, due to the impact of the triple lock. Graph also shows impact of removing the two child limit in Universal Credit.

JRF's Sam Tims sets out the outlook for poverty between now and the end of Parliament, explaining that poverty rates could flatline between April 2026 and the next election without further action.

Animation showing the increase in very deep poverty in the UK since the mid 1990s, with voices from JRF's Grassroots Poverty Action Group saying that 'we need action NOW'

Card showing an image of a family with a mother and two children, below a metaphorical poverty line. Text reads 'The average person in poverty now lives 29% below the poverty line, compared with 23% in the mid 1990s.

Promotional graphic for a webinar titled "UK Poverty 2026" by JRF, featuring an adult pushing a stroller with a child walking alongside, with a red brick house in the background. Event takes place at 10:30am to midday on Thursday 29th January.

Quote card from the GPAG foreword of JRF’s UK poverty2026 report with quote that reads ‘Poverty makes life feel very precarious. That prickling, uneasy feeling of uncertainty, and sometimes dread, dogs our physical and mental health. People can only take so much before they start breaking down.

Quote card of JRF's chief analyst Peter Matejic saying 'It's been 125 years since Seebohm Rowntree first outlined the scale and depth of poverty people faced. This report shows that poverty in the UK is still not just widespread, it is deeper and more damaging than at any other point in the last 30 years.'

Graphic showing text 3 in 10 children in the UK are living in poverty and an image of a child and their colourful backpack

Animated GIF showing that the poorest people in the UK are getting poorer, with very deep poverty climbing to a record level. Final screen is a composite image of Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Pat McFadden with a call for them to make good on their promises and end UK Poverty

Promotional image for the UK Poverty 2026 webinar on Thursday 29 Jan at 10:30am, featuring an adult pushing a stroller and walking with a young child, set against a color-split backdrop showing a tree and buildings.

A square quote card with JRF and Scottish Election branding, with a quote from Sylvia, a member of the End Poverty Scotland Group: “Making these necessary changes will make it easier for people to have trust in the system.. and feel included in decisions that concern their wellbeing.”

A donut chart showing the overlap between people who are economically secure and politically disaffected. 32% of people are neither politically disaffected nor economically insecure. 17% are politically disaffected but not economically insecure. 19% are both politically disaffected and economically insecure. 27% are economically insecure but not politically disaffected. The remaining 6% have missing responses so have not been included in one of the categories.

Promotional image for a JRF webinar titled "UK Poverty 2026: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK," featuring an adult pushing a stroller and walking with a child, set for January 29, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 12 PM, with a red brick house in the background.

Quote card of a woman from JRF's Grounded Voices programme who lives with her partner and two children in Scotland and is aged 40-49 who says she has experienced falling behind on bills, admitting it costs more in the long run with the fees attached but sometimes it's the only option.

Graph showing the number of low-income households in arrears by different types of bills. It shows well over 1.4 million behind on electricity or gas bills, just under 1.4 million behind on council tax or water and just under a million behind on rent.

Quote card of a woman from JRF's Grounded Voices programme, aged 20-29 living in England with her parents, saying that she gets very sad when she cannot afford things and feels trapped, helpless by the cost of living crisis and this has a negative impact on her mental health

Graph showing proportion of low-income households reporting negative impacts from cost of living pressures, with almost half saying their mental health is affected, and over 40% saying their sleep or social life was affected.

Quote card of a woman from JRF's Grounded Voices programme, who lives with her partner and 2 children and is aged 30-39 living in Wales. She says she has had to change habits to make ends meet, skipping meals or eating kids leftovers to last another day or two before she needs to go shopping.

Graph showing the number of low-income households facing food insecurity in the UK, with over 5 million experiencing it in October 2025.

Quote card showing JRF's Principal Policy Adviser Katie Schmuecker saying: 'The government has put its money where its mouth is on the manifesto commitment to reduce child poverty, and recognised the severe and acute poverty an alarming number of children are facing. This child poverty strategy will mean fewer children facing unacceptable hardship, but more will be needed to ensure every child gets the best start.'

Head of JRF Northern Ireland Ursula O'Hare explains the findings of the Poverty in Northern Ireland 2025 report.

Video of JRF's Christine Ellison explaining the experience and volume of in-work poverty in Northern Ireland.