PEOPLE who were brought up in poverty are at least twice as likely to be poor as adults as those who come from better-off homes, research shows.

One in five people who were teenagers in the 1970s whose parents were poor are poor as adults themselves, compared to one in 10 people who did not live in poverty as a teenager, according to a report for the social policy research and development charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The study also found that getting out of poverty for people who grew up in poor households is becoming more difficult.

It found that while those who were teenagers in the 1970s had double the chance of living in poverty as adults if they came from a poor family, teenagers in the 1980s who were brought up in poor families were nearly four times more likely to be poor as adults.

Persist

The report said it was hard to name the factors that caused poverty to persist across generations.

But it found that income poverty went alongside other forms of deprivation such as as unemployment, low parent education and living in poor neighbourhoods.

It found that poor teenagers in the 1970s grew up to be poor because of more general family background disadvantages, particularly having unemployed parents and low education.

But for teenagers in the 1980s being brought up in poverty directly affected the chances of them ending up in poverty themselves, even once family background was taken into account.

Skills

The research, which was carried out by Jo Blanden and Steve Gibbons, both research associates at the London School of Economics Centre for Economic Performance, concluded that initiatives to improve skills and employment opportunities were the only way to tackle the problem of persistent poverty.

Ms Blanden said: "Our research shows that there is no quick fix to ending these enduring patterns of poverty across generations.

"It highlights the importance of the policy agenda to reduce child poverty and disadvantage but also shows that this cannot be done through income transfers alone."

Paul Dornan, head of policy and research at the Child Poverty Action Group, said: "This report shows just how important it is to end child poverty once and for all.

"Failing to tackle poverty in childhood leads to persistent poverty in adulthood, meaning that today's poor child all too often becomes tomorrow's poor parent.

"Breaking the cycle of disadvantage is vital if we are to create a fairer society and genuinely open up opportunity for all.

Healthcare

"This means continuing to invest in tax credits and child benefit to ensure that people have an adequate income, alongside a good education, decent housing and high-quality healthcare."

Margaret Hodge, Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform, said: "Tackling long-term poverty has been one of this Government's main aims since 1997. Central to this has been giving people the opportunities they need to break out of a cycle of dependency on benefits or a life in poverty.

"We are clear that work is the best route out of poverty and there are now more people with jobs than ever before.

"We are not standing still on this. The Green Paper on welfare reform has outlined how we believe the Welfare State needs to evolve so that it can continue to provide the help and encouragement people need to get into work where possible, while still offer support to those who are unable to work and need the state's help to avoid a life in poverty."

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