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Household debt


Taking on debt is one way in which households can support current living standards, and households’ debt levels determine their exposure to economic fluctuations and the costs they face in terms of debt servicing. Our work looks at the levels of different categories of debt across Britain’s households, the riskiness of this position, and how these have changed over time.

Contacts

Molly Broome

Economist
T: 0203 372 2954
E: molly.broome@resolutionfoundation.org
James Smith Full Width

James Smith

Research Director
T: 020 3372 2960
E: james.smith@resolutionfoundation.org
Publications

Arrears fears

The distribution of UK household wealth and the impact on families

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The defining economic challenge for UK families at the moment is the cost of living crisis, rising inflation threatens living standards in the UK as real incomes fall. Owning wealth…
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Events

Whose wealth boom?

Assessing the UK’s changing wealth gaps

Britain has experienced a wealth surge in recent decades even as household incomes have stagnated. Wealth really matters in both good times and tough times – from young families buying…
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Events

Whose wealth?

Assessing the full impact of the pandemic on household wealth

While the Covid-19 pandemic has been about curbing and contraction – from normal activities to employment – many aspects of household wealth have grown very swiftly. Families unable to spend…
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Comment

A loan scheme for renters could stop tenants from being made homeless

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The protracted length of the coronavirus crisis has led to rent arrears reaching twice the level observed going into the crisis. In January 2021, we estimate that over 750,000 families…
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Publications

The debts that divide us

Flash findings from a survey of families claiming Universal Credit

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The surge in claims for Universal Credit (UC) when the pandemic first hit means that UC caseloads are now about twice as high as they were pre-pandemic, with over half…
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Publications

Rainy days

An audit of household wealth and the initial effects of the coronavirus crisis on saving and spending in Great Britain

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Families in Great Britain are faced with the most severe economic contraction in more than 100 years. Much of the immediate focus among policy makers has been on the size…
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Events

Weathering the storm

How wealth shapes the ability of families to face this economic crisis

Individual wealth has grown significantly in recent decades, increasing from three- to nearly seven-times GDP since the 1980s. However, neither policy nor politics have kept pace with the scale of…
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Publications

An outstanding balance?

Inequalities in the use – and burden – of consumer credit in the UK

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As the 2010s drew to a close, both policymakers and the press raised concerns about rising levels of UK household debt, with some warning it could soon bring about the…
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