Child poverty in Scotland: what we know and what the public's views are

1 What is poverty?

Poverty is a complex problem, and so there’s no single, ‘best’ way to measure it. That’s why there are 4 different targets in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill, each measuring a slightly different thing:

Relative poverty
Measures poverty relative to the rest of society

Absolute poverty
Measures changes in poverty relative to a point in time

Material deprivation
Measures whether households are able to afford basic necessities

Persistent poverty
Measures whether people have been living in poverty for a number of years

What the public think poverty is

Someone is poor if…

…they do not have enough money to pay for food and rent without getting into debt - 90% agree

…they have enough to pay for food and rent, but not enough to buy other things they need, like new clothes or heating - 71% agree

…they have enough to pay for food and rent, but not enough to buy things most people take for granted, like a TV or an occasional holiday - 31% agree