A new study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that the persistence of poverty has risen over time, with teenage poverty having a greater impact in later life for teenagers in the 1980s than those in the 1970s.
One in five teenagers in the 1970s whose parents were poor are poor adults, compared to one in ten who did not live in poverty as a teenager. A decade later, teenagers who experienced deprivation were nearly four times as likely to be poor as adults.
Report author Jo Blanden said, 'There is no quick fix to ending patterns of poverty across generations. It highlights the importance of the policy to reduce child poverty and disadvantage but also shows this cannot be done through income transfers alone.'
Paul Dornan, head of policy and research at Child Poverty Action Group, said, 'Breaking the cycle of disadvantage means continuing to invest in tax credits and child benefit, alongside a good education, decent housing and high-quality healthcare.'
The persistence of poverty across generations is at www.jrf.org.uk.