Analysis and action on living standards
Essentials take up more of households’ total spending than they have in the past, with spending on essentials for low-income households increasing the most. A more essentials-heavy spending basket also left poorer families facing faster price growth in recent years.
Our seventh annual Living Standards Outlook looks at how incomes have fared over the decade so far and what may lie ahead given current economic forecasts and the Government’s tax and benefit policies, as well as alternative scenarios. Crucially, we are able to look at potential outcomes for different income groups, ages and housing tenures.
The Resolution Foundation is an independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low-to-middle incomes. We work across a wide range of economic and social policy areas, combining our core purpose with a commitment to analytical rigour.
This report examines how Britain’s electricity system must transform to achieve net zero emissions while keeping energy affordable for households. It provides a comprehensive assessment of the reforms needed to move from a demand-led electricity system to one that responds to renewable energy supply, focusing on the implications for household bills and consumer protection.
Pay varies dramatically across England. In 2024, average weekly wages range from £610 in Liskeard to £1,130 in London. Is this because high‑earning areas attract inherently higher‑earning people, or because the jobs located there pay more to any worker? Using the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset, which covers almost every worker born after 1985 who was educated and is now employed in England, we follow early‑career workers (aged 22–36) as they move between jobs, firms and the country’s 155 Travel‑to‑Work Areas (TTWAs).
The Resolution Foundation calculates the real Living Wage – a voluntary hourly pay rate that is based on what families need to get by. The current national rate is:
Resolution Ventures exists to back innovative start-ups seeking to change the world of work for the better and early-stage ventures seeking to improve the prospects of low-to-middle income Britain.
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Evaluating the economic importance of intergenerational exchanges including housing assistance, childcare and other unpaid care, and financial aid.
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