A new measure of UK poverty

Report by: Legatum Institute

Author(s): The Social Metrics Commission

September 17, 2018

Our CEO, Philippa Stroud established the Social Metrics Commission with the sole aim of developing new measures of poverty for the UK. The need for an independent Commission was clear; much of the last decade of political and policy debate on poverty has focussed on whether and how we should measure poverty, rather than the action needed to drive better outcomes for the most disadvantaged in our society. If this is to change, developing a metric is not enough; we also need to be able to use it to build a new consensus around poverty measurement and action in the UK. This report is the culmination of two and a half years of work from our Social Metrics Commissioner which is made up of top thinkers from the left and right and policy and measurement experts with no political position. It outlines a new approach to poverty measurement for the UK and provides original analysis that demonstrates the fundamental changes to our understanding of poverty it creates. Most importantly, the approach, results and recommendations in this report are supported by every Commissioner. They truly represent a consensus view of how we should measure and understand the incidence of poverty in the UK and the experiences of those who are in poverty.