A briefing paper examined the European Commission Green Paper on pension policy (published in July 2010). It set out proposals for a 'more balanced debate' on pension policy.
Source: David Natali, The Green Paper on Pensions: A Critical Review, European Social Observatory
Links: Paper
Date: 2010-Dec
A report analyzed pension systems in the European Union, assessed pension reforms, and developed an updated agenda for delivering adequate and sustainable pensions.
Source: Progress and Key Challenges in the Delivery of Adequate and Sustainable Pensions in Europe, European Economy Occasional Papers 71, European Union
Links: Report | Annexes | Summary | EU press release
Date: 2010-Dec
Researchers examined the extent to which people were able to predict their potential income in retirement, and what sort of information and reference points they used. It was found that people often focused on their various individual potential sources of income such as pensions, savings, and property rather than income 'in the round'. People also tended to conflate the income that they thought they would have at retirement with the income that they felt they would need and/or aspired to.
Source: Mehul Kotecha, Rachel Kinsella and Sue Arthur, Research on Predictions of Income in Retirement, Working Paper 87, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Working paper | DWP press release
Date: 2010-Nov
A paper examined how new material deprivation questions for older people (asked in the Family Resources Survey since 2008) might be used to construct an overall measure of deprivation.
Source: Stephen McKay, Using the New Family Resources Survey Question Block to Measure Material Deprivation Among Pensioners, Working Paper 89, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Working paper | DWP press release
Date: 2010-Nov
An article critically examined the argument that the levels of income and wealth enjoyed by older cohorts (the 'welfare generation' born in the post-war period) could only be sustained by cutbacks in entitlements for younger cohorts – leading to a growing 'generational fracture' over welfare policy.
Source: Paul Higgs and Chris Gilleard, 'Generational conflict, consumption and the ageing welfare state in the United Kingdom', Ageing and Society, Volume 30 Issue 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Nov
The government published a detailed timetable for the proposed rise in the state pension age from 65 in 2018 to 66 in 2020.
Source: A Sustainable State Pension: When the state pension age will increase to 66, Cm 7956, Department for Work and Pensions/TSO
Links: Report | Hansard | DWP press release | HOC research brief
Date: 2010-Nov
A think-tank report said that too many older people faced extreme challenges in terms of money, health, lifestyle, communities, housing, and care. Two key threats to the well-being of the elderly, unless tackled imaginatively and radically, would inflict poverty and suffering on even more pensioners. The first was the looming crisis in social care where demand was set to rise sharply against the background of continuing public spending constraints, the absence of any clear policy remedy from government, and a projected severe fall in the number of unpaid carers. Second, a ripple effect from high and rising levels of family breakdown meant that in the future fewer old people would have adult children and spouses and partners to turn to when they needed help.
Source: The Forgotten Age: Understanding poverty and social exclusion in later life – An interim report by the Older Age Working Group, Centre for Social Justice
Links: Report | Summary | CSJ press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2010-Nov
A paper examined proposed reforms to attendance allowance and disability living allowance (benefits intended to help older people with the extra costs of disability). Despite their non-means-tested nature, withdrawal of the benefits would affect mainly low-income people. Official reports had overstated recipients' capacity to absorb the loss of these benefits.
Source: Ruth Hancock and Stephen Pudney, The Distributional Impact of Reforms to Disability Benefits for Older People in the UK, Working Paper 2010-35, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2010-Nov
The income and wealth chapter of Social Trends was published. Between 1998-99 and 2008-09 the percentage of individuals living in households with low income remained constant, at about 18 per cent. But the percentage of children and pensioners living in low-income households decreased from 26 per cent of children to 22 per cent, and from 27 per cent of pensioners to 20 per cent.
Source: Sonia Carrera and Jen Beaumont, 'Income and wealth', Social Trends 41, Office for National Statistics
Links: Chapter | ONS press release
Date: 2010-Nov
A report examined pensioner poverty and access to pensions among black and minority-ethnic communities. Minority-ethnic groups were up to three times as likely as white people to experience poverty in retirement. The report highlighted the ways in which self-employment – common among Bangladeshi people – posed particular barriers to having a good pension.
Source: Phil Mawhinney, Ready for Retirement? Pensions and Bangladeshi self-employment, Runnymede Trust
Links: Report | Runnymede Trust press release
Date: 2010-Oct
Two linked studies examined the characteristics of 'customers' of the Pension, Disability and Carers Service, with a view to informing the Service's communications strategy. There were fewer opportunities to reach older people directly due to their relative isolation. Family members were a potentially important channel of communication with many older age groups: the difficulties in communicating with those without close families were more acute. Isolation was an even greater problem for older women.
Source: Sarah Jenkins and Jerry Latter, Communicating with Customers Approaching Retirement, Research Report 702, Department for Work and Pensions | Sarah Jenkins, John Higton and Elizabeth Lane, Communicating with Customers of Retirement Age, Research Report 703, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report (702) | Summary (702) | Report (703) | Summary (703) | DWP press release (1) | DWP press release (2)
Date: 2010-Oct
A report examined the attitudes and actions of people in Wales over the age of 50, and those over 65, towards their finances. It warned that the next generation of older people risked carrying greater levels of debt into retirement, along with a lower capacity to manage a budget.
Source: Financing the Future: A study of older people's finances, Consumer Focus Wales
Links: Report | Consumer Focus press release
Date: 2010-Oct
A report said that people aged over 75 would be hit harder, relative to their incomes, than any other group as a result of expected cuts in public spending. They would lose £2,200 worth of public services per year by 2014-15 – equivalent to 14 per cent of their household income.
Source: Tim Horton and Howard Reed, How the Government's Planned Cuts Will Affect Older People, Age UK
Links: Age UK press release | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2010-Sep
A paper examined evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing on individuals' circumstances at or near retirement, matched with information on their lifetime earnings from national insurance administrative records. On average, those with low lifetime earnings had income in retirement that was higher relative to their lifetime earnings than individuals with higher lifetime earnings. This was influenced by the redistribution inherent in the state pension rules and other benefits.
Source: Antoine Bozio, Rowena Crawford, Carl Emmerson and Gemma Tetlow, Retirement Outcomes and Lifetime Earnings: Descriptive evidence from linked ELSA-NI data, Working Paper 81, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Working paper | DWP press release
Date: 2010-Aug
A paper said that there was no evidence that older recipients of disability living allowance exhibited higher levels of income deprivation than those receiving attendance allowance, in terms of equivalized pre-benefit family income.
Source: Stephen Pudney, Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance Claimants in the Older Population: Is there a difference in their economic circumstances?, Working Paper 2010-27, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2010-Jul
A paper evaluated the effectiveness of disability benefits for elderly people.
Source: Francesca Zantomio, Older People's Participation in Disability Benefits: Targeting, timing and financial wellbeing, Working Paper 2010-23, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2010-Jul
An audit report reviewed the data systems used to support delivery of the Labour government's public service agreement 17 – to 'tackle poverty and promote greater independence and well-being in later life' – over the period from 2008.
Source: Review of the Data Systems for Public Service Agreement 17, National Audit Office
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jun
A report said that grandparents in low-income families were risking financial hardship by giving up work to help look after grandchildren.
Source: Julia Griggs, Protect, Support, Provide: Examining the role of grandparents in families at risk of poverty, Grandparents Plus/Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | Summary | EHRC press release | TAEN press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | BBC report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Mar
The government announced an agreement with the 'big six' energy suppliers under which up to 250,000 of the poorest pensioner households should receive an £80 rebate on their electricity bills.
Source: Press release 12 March 2010, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: DWP press release | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Mar
A think-tank report called for a more honest approach from the government to tackling fuel poverty. If the government wanted to use the winter fuel payment to boost the incomes of older people, it should do so transparently through the pensions or benefits system. If, on the other hand, it was serious about helping people who struggled to heat their homes, the government should focus on improving domestic energy efficiency.
Source: Andrew Brinkley and Simon Less, Cold Comfort: Fuel poverty and the winter fuel payment, Policy Exchange
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report said that the state pension age should be raised sooner and further than already planned, in order to fund higher state pensions, reduce public debt, and reflect the population trend of longer, healthier lives.
Source: John Hawksworth, Chris Dobson and Nick Jones, Working Longer, Living Better: A Fiscal and Social Imperative, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Links: Report | PWC press release | Guardian report | Professional Pensions report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2010-Feb
A report examined the finances of the three ages of retirement – pre-retirees (55-64), retiring (65-74), and long-term retired (over 75). Although many over-55s had significant financial concerns, those approaching retirement had finances in far worse shape than those either aged 65-74 or over 75. 40 per cent of pre-retirees saved nothing each month, and 20 per cent still owed more than £75,000 on their mortgage.
Source: The Aviva Real Retirement Report, Aviva
Links: Report | Aviva press release | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Feb
A report by a committee of MPs said that the government should devise simpler tax systems for older people, and a more coherent plan for meeting their tax needs.
Source: HM Revenue and Customs: Dealing with the Tax Obligations of Older People, Eleventh Report (Session 2009-10), HC 141, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee/TSO
Links: Report | HOC press release | BBC report
Date: 2010-Feb
A paper examined survey data on the relationship between disability and receipt of attendance allowance by older people. Despite being non-means-tested, the allowance was implicitly income-targeted and strongly targeted on those with care needs. Higher-rate payments were negatively related to age and income, in addition to care needs. The allocation of higher-rate awards strongly favoured people with physical rather than cognitive disabilities.
Source: Stephen Pudney, Disability Benefits for Older People: How Does the UK Attendance Allowance System Really Work?, Working Paper 2010-02, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2010-Jan
A report said that in 2007-08 an estimated 2 million pensioners were living in poverty (according to the most commonly used official measure), down from 2.9 million in 1998-99.
Source: Pension Trends Chapter 13: Inequalities and poverty in retirement, Office for National Statistics
Links: Report | ONS press release | ILC press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Jan
