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British Household Panel Survey

Volume 455: debated on Tuesday 9 January 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what proportion of (a) working age adults and (b) pensioners were recorded by the British Household Panel Survey as having (i) zero disadvantages, (ii) one disadvantage, (iii) two disadvantages, (iv) three disadvantages, (v) four disadvantages, (vi) five disadvantages, (vii) six disadvantages, (viii) seven disadvantages, (ix) eight disadvantages, (x) nine disadvantages and (xi) 10 disadvantages in each year since 1991. (112813)

Estimates from the British Household Panel Survey (see Table 1) suggest that the proportion of working age adults that have none of the listed disadvantages has increased since 1991, from 29.2 per cent. to 45.3 per cent. in 2003. The proportion suffering from three, four, five or six or more of these disadvantages has been continuously falling. In 1991, 23.9 per cent. of the working age population suffered from three or more of the listed disadvantages, compared with 11.7 per cent. in 2003.

Grossing these proportions up to population estimates, this suggests that the number of working age adults with none of the listed disadvantages has increased from 10.1 million in 1991 to 16.2 million in 2003. (Note however that these are estimates derived from a survey sample.) The number suffering three or more of these disadvantages has approximately halved from 8.3 million in 1991 to 4.1 million in 2003.

Table 1: Working age adults

Number of disadvantages

1991

1993

1995

1997

2001

2003

0

29.22

32.78

36.15

39.88

42.01

45.34

1

28.28

28.41

28.54

28.02

30.36

28.69

2

18.64

17.71

16.80

15.42

14.11

14.23

3

10.96

10.20

9.06

8.25

7.07

6.49

4

6.58

5.43

5.24

4.78

3.53

2.84

5

3.52

3.22

2.66

2.19

1.67

1.81

6 or more

2.80

2.25

1.55

1.46

1.25

0.60

GB population (million)

34.5

34.6

34.9

34.7

35.4

35.8

Estimated number with:

0 disadvantages (million)

10.1

11.3

12.7

13.8

14.9

16.2

1 disadvantage (million)

9.8

9.8

10.0

9.7

10.7

10.3

2 disadvantages (million)

6.4

6.1

5.9

5.4

5.0

5.1

3 disadvantages (million)

3.8

3.5

3.2

2.9

2.5

2.3

4 disadvantages (million)

2.3

1.9

1.8

1.7

1.2

1.0

5 disadvantages (million)

1.2

1.1

0.9

0.8

0.6

0.6

6 or more disadvantages (million)

1.0

0.8

0.5

0.5

0.4

0.2

Note:Estimates obtained by grossing weighted BHPS figures. Indicators of disadvantage are unemployment, living in workless household, having no educational qualifications, living in social housing, living in overcrowded conditions, having poor health, having poor mental health, living alone, consumer durable disadvantage, financial stress. Population estimates derived from Population Trends (various issues).

Estimates from the British Household Panel Survey (see Table 2) suggest that the proportion of pensioners who have none of the listed disadvantages has increased since 1991, from 5.2 per cent. to 16 per cent. in 2003. The proportion suffering from three, four, five or six or more of these disadvantages has been falling over the period. In 1991, 58.2 per cent. of the pension age population suffered from three or more of the listed disadvantages, compared with 38.8 per cent. in 2003.

Table 2: Pensioners

Number of disadvantages

1991

1993

1995

1997

2001

2003

0

5.2

7.8

9.3

11.0

13.0

16.0

1

14.1

15.7

17.6

20.0

21.4

25.0

2

22.5

22.4

20.6

20.1

21.8

20.2

3

23.1

22.9

21.1

20.9

18.2

18.3

4

20.1

17.3

17.6

16.2

14.3

12.1

5

10.3

9.1

10.0

8.4

7.9

6.2

6 or more

4.7

4.8

3.8

3.4

3.4

2.2

GB population (million)

10.4

10.4

10.4

10.5

10.6

10.7

Estimated number with:

0 disadvantages (million)

0.5

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.7

1 disadvantage (million)

1.5

1.6

1.8

2.1

2.3

2.7

2 disadvantages (million)

2.3

2.3

2.1

2.1

2.3

2.2

3 disadvantages (million)

2.4

2.4

2.2

2.2

1.9

2.0

4 disadvantages (million)

2.1

1.8

1.8

1.7

1.5

1.3

5 disadvantages (million)

1.1

0.9

1.0

0.9

0.8

0.7

6 or more disadvantages (million)

0.5

0.5

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.2

Note: Estimates obtained by grossing weighted BHPS figures. Indicators of disadvantage are having no educational qualifications, living in social housing, living in overcrowded conditions, having poor health, having poor mental health, living alone, consumer durable disadvantage, financial stress. Population estimates derived from Population Trends (various issues).