Analysis and action on living standards
Our latest research assesses the UK’s progress toward net zero in the land use and agriculture sector – the only major area where emissions have barely fallen over the past 15 years. It examines both sides of the challenge: cutting emissions from food production and reshaping how land is used.
April 2026 will mark a true milestone for the UK benefits system: the end of the thirteen-year rollout of Universal Credit (UC) that has brought together all means-tested working-age benefits. From this point, an estimated 8.5 million working-age adults and 6.5 million children will be living in households in receipt of UC, equivalent to a quarter of all people below pension age (26 per cent), and half of all children (54 per cent) in Britain today.
The Resolution Foundation is an independent think-tank dedicated to lifting living standards in the UK. We focus particularly on households with low and middle incomes; those on low pay or in precarious work; and those vulnerable to financial shocks.
This report assesses the UK’s growth challenge 18 months into the new Parliament, examining how economic performance has evolved since the pandemic and evaluating the Government’s progress against its central mission to raise growth and living standards.
What a difference a year doesn’t make. This time last year the Government had just announced huge tax rises, having previously said they weren’t coming; trade wonks were wondering what Donald Trump’s next tariff policy would be; and Labour politicians awaited the May elections with trepidation.
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:
Explore our interactive housing indicators or read about our alternative estimate of UK employment.
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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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