WWW.JRF.ORG.UK A MINIMUM INCOME STANDARD FOR THE UK IN 2012 KEEPING UP IN HARD TIMES

This is the 2012 update of the Minimum Income Standard for the United Kingdom, based on new research into what members of the public think people need for an acceptable minimum standard of living. Budgets for families with children, originally researched in 2008, have for the first time been researched again from scratch. Budgets for other household types have been reviewed. Overall, the report shows that in the past four years both minimum living costs and the earnings needed to afford them have risen significantly more than headline inflation for families with children. For households without children, they have remained more stable. This report shows:: • what incomes different family types require in 2012 to meet the minimum standard; and • how much the cost of a minimum household budget has risen since the last update in 2011