Incomes· Generations· Demographics Bye bye baby Assessing Britain’s falling birth rate since the early 2010s 1 April 2026 by Charlie McCurdy This briefing explores Britain’s recent baby bust and whether it should be a cause for concern for policymakers. Most developed countries are grappling with a falling birth rate, and the UK is no different. There have always been a range of reasons that people postpone having children or choose not to have them at all … Continued READ MORE
Cities and regions· Generations· Demographics Ageing in the fast and slow lane Examining geographic gaps in ageing 8 January 2025 by Charlie McCurdy Like most countries, the UK is ageing – over the past five decades its median age has risen from 34 to 41. This deep demographic trend has all sorts of implications for public policy, not least the need to find greater resources to provide care for a growing elderly population. READ MORE
Incomes· Demographics· Unsung Britain Unsung Britain The changing economic circumstances of the poorer half of Britain 13 November 2024 by Mike Brewer and Molly Broome and Nye Cominetti and Adam Corlett and Charlie McCurdy and Louise Murphy and Cara Pacitti and Hannah Slaughter and James Smith and Lalitha Try This report marks the launch of Unsung Britain, a one-year research programme designed to understand the economic circumstances of today’s low-to-middle income families and how these have changed in recent decades, with support from JPMorganChase. READ MORE
Demographics· Economy 2030 Big welcomes and long goodbyes The impact of demographic change in the 2020s 16 June 2022 by Molly Broome It is well known that UK population ageing is set to accelerate in the 2020s. As a result, the discussion around demographic change tends to fixate on the fiscal implications from increased public spending pressures. But demographic change has wider implications for economies – it influences the size and shape of the labour market, demand … Continued READ MORE
Work· Generations· Demographics· Covid-19 Boom(erang) Time? An analysis of younger adults living with their parents 21 June 2021 by Maja Gustafsson Different data sources tell different stories about the share of younger people that have lived with their parents during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, even before the pandemic younger people on lower-pay and in more precarious forms of work were more likely to live with their parents. READ MORE
Generations· Demographics Ageing, fast and slow When place and demography collide 28 October 2019 by Charlie McCurdy Demographic divergence matters for local government, for local economies, and for our politics. This report describes differences in ageing in different regions across the UK, and examines the implications for our politics and policy. READ MORE
Incomes· Work· Generations· Demographics Mapping millennials’ living standards 29 August 2019 by Maja Gustafsson Intergenerational progress – the idea that each successive cohort should have higher living standards than predecessors at the same age – has slowed down markedly for today’s young adults. This puts their experience in stark contrast to the rapid cohort-on-cohort improvements in standards of living up until those born in the 1970s. Because many people … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Generations· Demographics Live long and prosper? Demographic trends and their implications for living standards 16 January 2017 by David Finch People are living longer. This is good news of course. A longer life is in and of itself a boost to living standards for individuals and reflects a more prosperous society. But it raises challenges too. For the individual, living longer creates a need for greater lifetime income to sustain a given standard of living. … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Generations· Demographics· Political parties and elections Votey McVoteface: Understanding the growing turnout gap between the generations 23 September 2016 by Laura Gardiner Renewing the intergenerational contract relies on broad engagement in the democratic process across the generations. This is not least the case because any new policy agenda will require public support, in order for democratically-elected politicians to pursue it. In this light, the generational turnout gap that has opened up since the mid-1990s – and was … Continued READ MORE
Generations· Demographics The pinch: How the baby boomers took their children’s future – and why they should give it back 10 December 2015 by David Willetts The accompanying slide pack for David Willetts’s speech to Keele University, exploring the differences between the baby boomers and younger generations, looking at wealth and welfare in particular. READ MORE
