30,000 more children in poverty - government looks the other way
Child poverty has increased significantly due to Corona. The government is allowing single parents, children and families living in poverty to slide through the crisis without adequate help. More and more adults and children are slipping into poverty. Almost 800,000 people in Austria are now permanently affected by poverty, including 370,000 children.
At the end of April, the new EU-SILC figures for 2021 were published - an EU-wide survey of income and living conditions. Data on the financial situation, work, health and housing conditions are collected. Same with Austria. The data shows how many people in Austria are at risk of poverty and exclusion - and which groups are particularly affected. Even if there is a lot of justified criticism of the data set, some trends in socio-political development in Austria can be seen.
In this specific case, they show that measures such as short-time work for adults were able to cope relatively well with the Corona crisis. Here, for example, there has been no increase in poverty figures.
However , the SILC data also show the gaps in the policy of the federal government: single parents, families in manifest poverty and children. Difficult times are now emerging for them with the wave of inflation.
MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE AFFECTED BY POVERTY
Although Austria is one of the richest countries in the world, income and wealth in particular are distributed very unequally. More than 1.5 million people in Germany are affected by poverty and social and material exclusion. That’s 17 percent of the population.
Poverty is defined as anyone who has less than 60 percent of the median income at their disposal. In 2021, this threshold was 1,371 euros per month for a one-person household. In absolute numbers, this is around 10,000 fewer than in the previous year. However, poverty figures are still above the pre-crisis level of 2019.
It is worrying that 777,000 people, 100,000 more people, are considered persistently poor than in the previous year. Those people who have been affected by poverty for three years are recorded as persistently poor. This increase shows that politics, especially in times of crisis, is unable to improve the situation of people at risk of poverty in the long term and to solve the problems that cause poverty.
The Corona crisis has solidified the situation of poverty for many, for example for those people who were already looking for a job before the Corona crisis.
SOCIAL BENEFITS AS THE MOST IMPORTANT SOURCE OF INCOME: EVERY SECOND PERSON AT RISK OF POVERTY
Those groups that are particularly at risk of poverty also refer to the gap in the social system: Every second recipient of social benefits is considered to be affected by poverty if these benefits represent the most important source of income.
At 39 percent, people who have been unemployed for more than six months are also more affected than the average population. Raising unemployment benefits would give people who become unemployed more protection against falling into poverty.
A study by the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor showed that two years ago, for example, 37,300 people would have been less at risk of poverty if the net replacement rate had been raised from 55 to 70 percent. That would also have lifted 6,500 children and young people under the age of 18 out of child poverty.
7 OUT OF 10 AUSTRIANS WOULD LIKE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO BE INCREASED
The at-risk-of-poverty rate among the unemployed would be 3 percentage points lower. According to a SORA study commissioned by Volkshilfe , this measure is supported by 7 out of 10 people (70%). The approval is particularly high among younger people (15 to 29 years; 76%) and blue-collar workers (78%). Since last year, approval in this regard has risen by 11 percent.
People without Austrian citizenship, families with several children and people who have no more than compulsory schooling are more often at risk of poverty and exclusion.
SINGLE PARENTS: THEY GET ALMOST NOTHING FROM THE FAMILY BONUS
According to the new EU-SILC data, the big losers among adults in the crisis are single-parent households. At 36 percent, they are not only particularly affected by poverty, they have also recorded an enormous increase of five percentage points.
The federal government’s corona policy has hit single parents, especially women, particularly hard. Measures such as the family bonus do not apply to them. School closures due to a lack of protective measures and price increases put them at a severe disadvantage. The children’s cost study has already shown that single-parent households are particularly burdened, but benefit to a significantly reduced extent from family policy tax breaks. These measures are therefore not a sensible means of combating child poverty.
MOLD IN DAMP APARTMENTS, A LOT OF NOISE - THAT AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH
Low-income people (<60% of the median ) are more likely to rent than own (18% own their home, 7% own an apartment) and are more likely to face poor and unhealthy housing conditions.
12 percent have to live in damp and mold-infested apartments, 19% of them have to struggle with noise problems. These living conditions have further deteriorated compared to the previous year.
In addition to working conditions and other factors, this also affects health. 36% of low-income people (<60% of the median ; between 18 and 64 years) suffer from chronic diseases, compared to 30% of the general population. The subjective sense of health is also significantly worse. A circumstance that worsens with age. 15,000 people in Austria would have urgently needed dental treatment in 2021, but could not take advantage of it for financial reasons.
CHILD POVERTY DUE TO CORONA: EVERY FOURTH PERSON AT RISK OF POVERTY IS UNDER 18
The EU-SILC figures show that children in Austria are at particularly high risk of being affected by poverty and exclusion. Children and young people under the age of 18 accounted for a quarter (25%) of all those at risk of poverty in 2021: Every fourth person affected by poverty is under 18 years old.
In absolute numbers, this means that 368,000 children and young people under the age of 18 were at risk of poverty and exclusion in 2021.
Income poor were 320,000. This is an increase of around 2 percent compared to the previous year and an increase of almost 30,000 children in absolute numbers. If there were no social benefits in Austria, in 2021 instead of the 320,000 children at risk of poverty, 594,000 children in Austria would be at risk of poverty.
125,000 children and young people under the age of 18 are materially deprived. This means that their parents cannot afford to pay regular payments, cope with unexpected expenses or keep the apartment warm, among other things. But everyday goods, such as a washing machine, may not be available for financial reasons.
NO HOLIDAY MEMORIES, WORRIES ABOUT THE PARENTS: WHAT GROWING UP IN POVERTY MEANS
243,000 children and young people up to the age of 17 live in a household that cannot afford to go on vacation at least once a year. Specifically, for 6 out of 10 children affected by poverty, this means that they cannot share any holiday memories when they start school. Our research shows that children know very well when their parents have financial concerns and that they share them. This puts a strain on them and worries about the continued existence of their families.
It is a shame that in Austria 408,000 children and young people live in a household that cannot immediately pay unexpected payments of a certain sum. 161,000 of them live in households that cannot replace worn out furniture. However, the housing problems of children and young people do not end there.
Child poverty has increased significantly due to Corona
Child poverty due to Corona: 7 percent of children under the age of 16 cannot afford leisure activities that cost anything. For example, going to the swimming pool or going to the cinema.
In 2021, 202,000 children and young people up to the age of 17 lived in overcrowded, 180,000 children in damp, 256,000 in noisy and 78,000 children in dark living conditions. 121,000 minors struggle with air and environmental pollution in their homes. Children affected by poverty are significantly more affected by these poor housing conditions: 38 percent of children at risk of poverty live in overcrowded apartments, but only 6 percent of children and young people who are not affected by poverty.
FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN THERE IS NEITHER A BIRTHDAY PARTY NOR A VISIT TO THE SWIMMING POOL
However, growing up in poverty does not only mean reduced material security. Poverty affects all areas of life – including social participation. For example, 7 percent of children under the age of 16 cannot afford leisure activities that cost anything. For example, going to the swimming pool or going to the cinema.
15,000 children in one of the richest countries in the world cannot afford outdoor sports equipment (bicycles, scooters, balance bikes, etc.). For young people in rural areas, this is not only a question of preventive health care, but also of mobility. For the parents of 14,000 children in this age group, it is not financially possible to celebrate special celebrations such as birthdays or Christmas, and 18,000 children under the age of 16 cannot invite friends to play and eat for financial reasons. This often means that they are invited to see other children less often. For financial reasons, the parents of 28,000 children under the age of 16 are unable to pay for their children to attend school events that are subject to a fee, which prevents their cultural participation.
Child poverty increased sharply due to Corona
The parents of 15,000 children in Austria cannot afford outdoor sports equipment.
INFLATION IS NOW MAKING ALL OF THIS WORSE
The figures are particularly dramatic when read against the background of the current wave of inflation. The rise in food prices and housing costs hit those affected by poverty particularly badly. They spend a significantly higher proportion of their household income on these items and have less leeway to cope with price increases.
Although 9 out of 10 people in Austria (92%) call for better support for people with low household incomes in view of the high inflation rate, too little is happening here.
We need a right to energy and thus free energy supply for those affected by poverty, as well as structural measures to combat poverty as it arises. For children and young people, this would be achieved through basic child security that would enable all children and young people to grow up in safety.
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