Should I stay or should I go? Strategies of EU citizens living in the UK in the context of the EU referendum

What might EU migrants in the UK do in order to cope if the UK leaves the EU? Might they stay or go? Using data from an online survey we find out what the three largest EU nationality groups (Portuguese, Polish and Romanian) in the UK have to say. These three groups represent three different EU enlargement waves, with Portugal having joined the European Union in 1986, Poland in 2004 and Romania in 2007

Measuring unmet need for social care among older people

Recent spending cuts in the area of adult social care raise policy concerns about the proportion of older people whose need for social care is not met. Such concerns are emphasised in the context of population ageing and other demographic changes. This briefing summarises research published in Population Trends no. 145 which explores the concept of ‘unmet need’ for Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), using data on the receipt of support (informal, state or privately paid for). The results show that each of the three different support sectors tend to provide help for different kinds of need, and that worryingly, there is a significant level of ‘unmet need’ for certain activities

Trajectories of informal care and health

The evidence of the impact of informal care provision on the health of carers presents a complex and contested picture, depending on the characteristics of the care studied, including its duration, which has been relatively short in previous research (up to 4 years). Drawing on data from the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study, a 1% sample of linked Census records for respondents in England and Wales (N=270,054), this paper contributes original insights on the impact of care provision on the carer's health ten years later. The paper explores differentials in self-reported health in 2011 between individuals according to their caring status at 2001 and 2011, and controlling for a range of demographic and socio-economic characteristics. The results show that individuals providing informal care in 2011 (regardless of carer status in 2001) exhibit lower odds of poor health in 2011 than those who did not provide care in both 2001 and 2011. Taking the intensity of care into account, ‘heavy’ carers in 2001 (i.e. caring for more than 20 h per week) who were not caring in 2011 show a higher likelihood of reporting poor health than non-carers, while those who were ‘heavy’ carers in both 2001 and 2011 are around one-third less likely to report poor health at 2011 compared to non-carers (2001 and 2011). These findings provide new insights in relation to repeat caring and its association with the carer's health status, further contributing to our understanding of the complex relationship between informal care provision and the carer's healt

Informal caring in England and Wales – Stability and transition between 2001 and 2011

AbstractInformal caring is of significant and increasing importance in the context of an ageing population, growing pressures on public finances, and increasing life expectancy at older ages. A growing body of research has examined the characteristics associated with informal care provision, as well as the impact of caring for the carer's physical and mental health, and their economic activity. However, only a relatively small body of literature has focused on the study of ‘repeat’ or continuous caring over time, and the factors associated with such trajectories. In 2001, for the first time, the United Kingdom census asked about provision of informal care, enabling identification of the prevalence of informal caregiving at a national level. This paper follows up informal carers from the 2001 Census in order to examine their characteristics and circumstances 10 years later using a nationally representative 1% sample of linked census data for England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study. The analysis classifies the range of possible combinations of caring and non-caring roles between 2001 and 2011, focusing on the characteristics of those who were providing care at one, or both, time points. Among other results, the analysis identified that, among those who were carers in 2001, caring again in, or continuing to care until, 2011 was associated with being female, aged between 45 and 54 years in 2011, looking after the home, and providing care for 50hours or more per week in 2001. Such results contribute to our understanding of a particular group of informal carers and provide a more nuanced picture of informal care provision at different stages of the life course

Under the social services’ radar: community support to older people during the UK lockdown

Maria Evandrou, Jane Falkingham, Min Qin and Athina Vlachantoni highlight the experiences of older people who did not quality for formal home care visits during the lockdown. They find that while many did receive assistance with activities such as shopping (and some received more such help than previously), a small group were at risk of not having the support they needed, something which may be repeated in future lockdowns

A South Asian disadvantage? Differences in occupational pension membership in the UK

The UK state pension system offers a state pension that is relatively low, and as a result, occupational pensions have been a key aspect of pension protection for employees to ‘top up’ their income in later life. Previous research reported that individuals from South Indian groups (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) are less likely to contribute to occupational pensions than White British individuals due to the interaction of their labour market participation and pension membership patterns, meaning they are less likely to receive income from pensions and more likely to face poverty in later life. This study uses individual data from the first wave of Understanding Society and investigates patterns of employment and the determinants of membership in an employer’s pension scheme among working-age individuals from minority ethnic groups and the White British population. The analysis focuses specifically on patterns of occupational pension membership for individuals from the three South Indian groups compared to White British individuals and those from other ethnic groups. This paper is based on Vlachantoni, A. et al (2015) ‘Ethnicity and occupational pension membership in the UK’, Social Policy and Administration. Article first published online: 14 APR 2015, DOI: 10.1111/spol.1213

Residential mobility across the life course: continuity and change across three cohorts in Britain

Although a buoyant literature has emerged examining residential mobility across sections of the life course, a full life course perspective has remained lacking. This paper exploits an as yet under-used data source – the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing li A buoyant literature fetime residential histories – to achieve this. The lifetime residential mobility trajectories of older men and women in three birth cohorts born between 1918 and 1947 are compared, examining how these are associated with changes in cohort members’ socio-historical contexts, and life course events in the domains of employment, partnership and fertility. Results indicate that change in residential mobility between cohorts is gendered, with persistent continuity between male cohorts, and marked change between female cohorts. Such gender differentials are particularly notable during young adulthood, highlighting the significance of de-standardising pathways to adulthood and the changing role of women in society. Generalised mobility pathways from birth to age 60 for men and women are identified using sequence analysis, and the paper discusses how these may be associated with contextual changes and life course characteristics. In conclusion, the research reflects on the benefits of the life course perspective for understanding the complexities of residential mobility, and the importance of socio-historical context in understanding trends and patterns in this area

Social trust, interpersonal trust and self-rated health in China: a multi-level study

Background: Trust is important for health at both the individual and societal level. Previous research using Western concepts of trust has shown that a high level of trust in society can positively affect individuals’ health; however, it has been found that the concepts and culture of trust in China are different from those in Western countries and research on the relationship between trust and health in China is scarce. Method: The analyses use data from the national scale China General Social Survey (CGSS) on adults aged above 18 in 2005 and 2010. Two concepts of trust (“out-group” and “in-group” trust) are used to examine the relationship between trust and self-rated health in China. Multilevel logistical models are applied, examining the trust at the individual and societal level on individuals’ self-rated health.Results: In terms of interpersonal trust, both “out-group” and “in-group” trust are positively associated with good health in 2005 and 2010. At the societal level, the relationships between the two concepts of trust and health are different. In 2005, higher “out-group” social trust (derived from trust in strangers) is associated with better health; however, higher “in-group” social trust (derived from trust in most people) is associated with poor health in 2010. The cross-level interactions show that lower educated individuals (no education or only primary level), rural residents and those on lower incomes are the most affected groups in societies with higher “out-group” social trust; whereas people with lower levels of educational attainment, a lower income, and those who think that most people can be trusted are the most affected groups in societies with higher “in-group” social trust.Conclusion: High levels of interpersonal trust are of benefit to health. Higher “out-group” social trust is associated with better health; while higher “in-group” social trust is associated with poor health. Individuals with different levels of educational attainment are affected by trust differently

Intergenerational flows of support between parents and adult children in Britain

Understanding patterns of intergenerational support is critical within the context of demographic change, such as changing family structures and population ageing. Existing research has focused on intergenerational support at a given time in the individuals' lifecourse, e.g. from adult children towards older parents and vice versa; however, few studies have focused on the dynamic nature of such support. Analysing data from the 1958 National Child Development Study, this paper investigates the extent to which the receipt of parental help earlier in the lifecourse affects the chances of adult children reciprocating with support towards their parents later in life. The findings show that three-quarters of mid-life adults had received some support from their parents earlier in life, and at age 50 more than half were providing care to their parents. Patterns of support received and provided across the lifecourse differ markedly by gender, with sons being more likely to have received help with finances earlier in the lifecourse, and daughters with child care. The results highlight that care provision towards parents was associated with support receipt earlier in life. However, the degree of reciprocity varies according to the type of care provided by children. Such findings have implications for informal care provision by adult children towards future cohorts of older people, and by extension, the organisation of social care