The Joseph Rowntree Report on the BREXIT vote
Poverty, low skills and lack of opportunity
I recommend that anyone who is going to take part in, or simply listen to, the debates about BREXIT at the conference read this report first.
The Rowntree Foundation has a well-earned reputation for solid research and in particular research about poverty.
If there is one issue which in my opinion must exercise the minds of everyone at conference this year, it is poverty. The numbers of people in Britain, the sixth richest country in the world, living in poverty are horrifying
Report Summary
The conclusion of this report is that Britain is a deeply divided country
There were three core findings:
- Income and poverty matter in how people voted.
- People pushed to the margins in the most deprived areas voted to leave.
- The educational divides matter even more.
Support for leaving was significantly higher amongst those for whom GCSE was their highest qualification. Low educational achievements were more critical than income level in determining how people voted.
Where people live played a part. The “left behind” group face a double whammy of lower job qualifications in areas with poor job opportunities
These inequalities which play a part in the divisions in society played a role in the vote and are likely to widen.
Leave voters have more in common with each other than the things which divide them.
https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/brexit-vote-explained-poverty-low-skills-and-lack-opportunities
Nina Davies, Spain