A recent study has found that nearly one in five people were considered at risk of poverty at some point between 2015 and 2023, reports Breaking News.
The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) released findings that delve into the complexities of income poverty and deprivation and how they intersect.
On average, 22 per cent of individuals experienced deprivation during at least one of two consecutive years between 2016 and 2023: nearly half of these were persistently deprived, just under a third were coming out of deprivation, and roughly a quarter were newly experiencing it, reports Breaking News.
The study highlighted a post-pandemic rise in deprivation among lone-parent households, single adults aged 30 to 65, those over 65, and in particular, single individuals above 65.
It suggested that the larger impact on older adults may be due to the State pension remaining unchanged in monetary value during 2020 and 2021, reports Breaking News.
The ESRI study, carried out in collaboration with the Department of Social Protection, relied on longitudinal data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) to examine poverty patterns over time.
It showed that the annual at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) rate fell from 16 per cent in 2016 to 11 per cent in 2023, while the persistent AROP rate dropped from 10 per cent in 2015–2016 to 7 per cent in 2022–2023, reports Breaking News.
This persistent rate reflects the portion of people who were AROP for two consecutive years.
However, material deprivation rose recently, increasing from 14 per cent in 2021 to 17 per cent in 2023.
Between 2016 and 2023, an average of 5 per cent of people were found to be both AROP and materially deprived, reports Breaking News.
The study identified lone-parent households, large families, and homes with a working-age adult with a disability as facing the greatest risks of sustained AROP and deprivation.
Children living with lone parents were particularly vulnerable, with an average of 33 per cent being persistently deprived and 21 per cent persistently AROP during the study period, reports Breaking News.
The report emphasised the need for “targeted” policies aimed at supporting lone parents, larger households, and families with disabled members to assist those most susceptible to poverty.
It also said that making timely changes to social welfare benefits, including pensions, would be “critical” in safeguarding at-risk groups from the effects of inflation, reports Breaking News.
Report co-author Anousheh Alamir stated the findings underscore “the complex nature of poverty” and how varying demographics face different vulnerabilities over time.
“Over two-year stretches, lone parent families and households with a disabled adult are found to be the most at risk of income poverty and/or material deprivation for one year only, reports Breaking News.
“And while they are also the most likely to be materially deprived two years in a row (i.e persistently), large families are the most at risk of income poverty during that time,” reports Breaking News.
“Thus, different groups are vulnerable to different forms and durations of poverty, an insight that should be key for effective policy,” reports Breaking News.
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