Save the Children and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation are working together to understand public attitudes to child poverty in Scotland. Our project, Changing the Story, is using survey-based and qualitative research to generate new evidence about what the public think. We will use this evidence to build support for action to end child poverty in Scotland.
At the centre of Changing the Story, a group of parents and carers with lived experience of poverty are helping to inform and make sense of the research. In this blog series, they reflect on key findings from the research to highlight why we need to see bolder action to end child poverty.
Ailsa is a single parent living with her two children in Paisley. Living on a low income has made things tough for Ailsa and her family. But she is looking forward to returning to higher education in the autumn and has lots of hopes for the future – for her and for her children.
“[Poverty] is a bigger issue than people realise... It’s not as simple as ‘you can’t afford to pay a bill’, it impacts every area and every single aspect of your life. From the second you wake up to the second you try to go sleep but can’t because you’re worried.”
Ailsa’s experience of struggling to get by on a low income is not unusual. The economy and the social security system just aren’t working for too many families, who are being overlooked by politicians. Heartbreaking evidence of this is that more than one in five children in Scotland is living in poverty. But this isn’t about numbers. This is about the kind of childhoods, and the kind of future Scotland we want to live in.
Child poverty doesn’t just mean that families are struggling to afford the essentials, but that their families sometimes aren’t able to give them the childhood experiences that they’d like to, like extracurricular activities, clubs, or trips out. Like any parent, Ailsa doesn’t want to see her children missing out.
When she reflects on what the impact of living on a low income has been on her family, she says:
"The biggest thing has been the social aspect for my children. They're not able to participate in hobbies or things that would better them... The kids see their friends going away. You've got to save for everything. That means going without one thing for another. The thing I hate is saying no to my children... All their peers get to go and do these things and they just can't. That's the biggest impact poverty has on me."
Ailsa wants politicians to “held to account” on their goals of reducing child poverty, so that families like hers don’t have to make impossible choices and everyone can afford a happy and healthy childhood. She is not alone: a huge 77% of people in Scotland think that decision-makers could be doing more to help families who are struggling.
The public support policies to put money in the hands of families who need it, so that every child can have a decent start. A strong social security system is absolutely central to tackling poverty. But Ailsa reflects that practical and emotional support that’s rooted in communities is also really important.
“It’s not just about giving more money, but also about having a community of support... Community would be a good strong point.”
According to Ailsa, one of the biggest things is that “attitudes need to change”. She knows that judgement and stigma is a real barrier to getting support that families need. Survey research shows that this, too, is recognised by the public: nearly three quarters of people (72%) agree that families on a low-income are unfairly judged. This suggests there is an appetite for a new story about child poverty, one that resonates with the public and focuses on building a better Scotland for everyone.
