Lost in transition
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation examines why the UK NEET rate is high and rising. This report investigates why the UK’s NEET rate has been rising since 2019, and why it has long been higher than in many other countries. After falling for much of the 2010s, the proportion of 18-24-year-olds...
The macroeconomic policy outlook Q2 2026
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation discusses the macroeconomic policy outlook in the second quarter of 2026. Since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began nearly two months ago, global energy markets have been volatile. But the shock facing Britain has so far been smaller than that which followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:...
Bye bye baby
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation assesses Britain’s falling birth rate since the early 2010s. 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...
The long shadow
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation explores how childhood disadvantage depresses the earnings of university graduates in England. This briefing note examines how being in deep poverty in childhood – proxied by eligibility to free school meals at age 16 – continues to shape graduates’ earnings long after university. Using the Longitudinal...
Growth Mais-day
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation sets out their response to the Chancellor's 2026 Mais lecture. The Chancellor’s reaffirmation of her commitment to focusing on the UK’s miserable growth rate is welcome and reflects the scale of the UK’s challenge: a decade of exceptionally weak growth and a fragile outlook shaped by...
Power struggle
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation assesses the options for supporting families with the rise in the cost of energy. Conflict in the Middle East has driven oil prices from around $70 to $100 per barrel, with wholesale gas prices also rising by over 60 per cent. The duration and severity of...
Understatement of the year
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation puts the Spring Forecast in context. This briefing note sets out how a mix of benign fiscal developments and concerning economic trends leaves the Government on track to meet its fiscal rules following the 2026 Spring Forecast, but with little resilience to shocks. The OBR’s numbers...
Power cut
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation examines what the Government's energy bill discount means for households and what comes next. Next week, Ofgem is expected to announce that the Q2 2026 energy price cap will be nearly £120 below current levels. This reduction is overwhelmingly driven by the Government’s energy bill discount,...
Fiscal events and how to avoid them
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation assesses the economic and fiscal outlook based on news since the Autumn Budget. In this slide pack we preview the upcoming Spring Forecast, assessing the economic and fiscal outlook based on news since the Autumn Budget. Stepping back, growth remains weak, households cautious, and the labour...
Unsung Britain
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation paints a portrait of the poorer half of the country's population. The 13 million working-age families across the poorer half of the country are widely courted by politicians. No party can win elections without their votes, and the country cannot succeed without their needs being met....