Analysis and action on living standards
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How experiencing deep poverty in childhood continues to shape graduates’ earnings long after university.
Conflict in the Middle East has driven oil prices from around $70 to $100 per barrel, with wholesale gas prices also rising by over 60 per cent. Given the Government has said the high cost of living is its number one priority, and has acted to help those reliant on heating oil, there is growing pressure to provide widespread support. So what should be done?
The Resolution Foundation is an independent think-tank dedicated to lifting living standards in the UK. We focus particularly on households with low and middle incomes; those on low pay or in precarious work; and those vulnerable to financial shocks.
This briefing note sets out how a mix of benign fiscal developments and concerning economic trends leaves the Government on track to meet its fiscal rules following the 2026 Spring Forecast, but with little resilience to shocks. But even as the OBR’s projections were being published, fast‑moving global events had already begun to make key assumptions out of date.
This report considers an often-overlooked aspect of Universal Credit (UC): how the nuts and bolts of the UC system could be improved. We set out a programme of reform that is grounded in claimants’ own experiences; realistic about the system as is; and fully costed when it comes to both the investment and ongoing spend our recommendations would entail.
The Resolution Foundation calculates the real Living Wage – a voluntary hourly pay rate that is based on what families need to get by. The current national rate is:
Explore our interactive housing indicators or read about our alternative estimate of UK employment.
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Resolution Ventures exists to back innovative start-ups seeking to change the world of work for the better, and early-stage ventures seeking to improve the prospects of low-to-middle income Britain.
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