The media has created myths that blame the most vulnerable people for our economic and societal woes by twisting and misusing statistics, according to a report, entitled The lies we tell ourselves: ending comfortable myths about poverty, published by a coalition of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist church, the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church. It’s convenient to believe that benefits are too generous”, said Paul Morrison, author of the report. “It’s convenient to believe that claimants are on the fiddle or even more absurdly caused our economic troubles. But it’s just not true. The very least the most vulnerable in our society deserve is to be spoken of truthfully and with respect, and that is what we should demand from our politicians and newspapers. Anything less is to be complicit in a great injustice.”
It challenges six myths about poverty:
Myth 1: ‘They’ are lazy and don’t want to work
Myth 2: ‘They’ are addicted to drink and drugs
Myth 3: ’They’ are not really poor – they just don’t manage their money properly
Myth 4: ‘They’ are on the fiddle
Myth 5: ‘They’ have an easy life
Myth 6: ‘They’ caused the deficit
One in five British children live below the poverty line, research by
the Campaign to End Child Poverty show.
In eight areas of large cities, over four out of every 10 children lived in poverty in 2012.
Almost five million people in Britain are living in food poverty, while inflation and austerity have led to a shocking rise in those relying on food banks to feed their families, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said. That is defined as having no choice but to spend significantly more than 10 per cent of their household inc ome on food.The poorest households in the UK have cut back on fruit by an estimated 20 per cent and vegetables by 12 per cent as people struggle to afford basic food. The poorest households spent almost a quarter of their income (23.8 per cent) on food in 2012 compared with an annual spend of around 4 per cent by the richest households.
The poorest 10% of car-owning households in the UK are spending more than a quarter of their disposable income on buying and running a vehicle. More than 800,000 homes are "mired in transport poverty" as a result, the RAC Foundation said. Of the total £167 they spend each week, £44 goes on car-related expenses. Of the £44, £16 goes on fuel and £8.30 on insurance, with £4.80 going on repairs and servicing. By contrast, the richest car-owning households spend 12% of their income on buying and running a vehicle.
It challenges six myths about poverty:
Myth 1: ‘They’ are lazy and don’t want to work
Myth 2: ‘They’ are addicted to drink and drugs
Myth 3: ’They’ are not really poor – they just don’t manage their money properly
Myth 4: ‘They’ are on the fiddle
Myth 5: ‘They’ have an easy life
Myth 6: ‘They’ caused the deficit
One in five British children live below the poverty line, research by
the Campaign to End Child Poverty show.
In eight areas of large cities, over four out of every 10 children lived in poverty in 2012.
Almost five million people in Britain are living in food poverty, while inflation and austerity have led to a shocking rise in those relying on food banks to feed their families, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said. That is defined as having no choice but to spend significantly more than 10 per cent of their household inc ome on food.The poorest households in the UK have cut back on fruit by an estimated 20 per cent and vegetables by 12 per cent as people struggle to afford basic food. The poorest households spent almost a quarter of their income (23.8 per cent) on food in 2012 compared with an annual spend of around 4 per cent by the richest households.
The poorest 10% of car-owning households in the UK are spending more than a quarter of their disposable income on buying and running a vehicle. More than 800,000 homes are "mired in transport poverty" as a result, the RAC Foundation said. Of the total £167 they spend each week, £44 goes on car-related expenses. Of the £44, £16 goes on fuel and £8.30 on insurance, with £4.80 going on repairs and servicing. By contrast, the richest car-owning households spend 12% of their income on buying and running a vehicle.
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