Evidence to Policy Blogs
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Project Team
Professor Athina Vlachantoni , Professor of Gerontology & Social Policy in Department of Gerontology at University of Southampton.
Professor Yuanyuan Yin , Associate Professor in Design Management in Winchester School of Art at the University of Southampton.
Dr Spela Mocnik , Research Fellow in Inclusive Ageing at University of Southampton
Dr Saddaf Akhtar , Research Fellow in Inclusive Ageing (QA) at University of Southampton
Project Overview
This project is funded under the ESRC Inclusive Ageing call.
Resources and experiences accumulate across the life course, influencing later life outcomes. For some older individuals from minority ethnic communities, later life comes with a higher risk of poverty compared to their White British counterparts.
This research aims to improve the inclusivity of individuals from minority ethnic communities in pension policy planning, and address a gap in our understanding of the socio-economic factors affecting pension protection among current and future generations of older individuals from minority ethnic communities in the UK.
The research is produced with mid-life and older individuals, considering their financial resilience in the context of their social networks and living arrangements. To place individuals from minority ethnic groups in the UK at the heart of the research, we are using innovative methods such as photo images taken by participants to describe what late-life financial planning means to them. By listening to real life narratives, we can better understand the lived experiences of individuals from minority ethnic communities, add to the evidence on ethnic differentials in pensions, and promote greater inclusivity in pension protection.
The project also uses data from large-scale social surveys including Understanding Society and the Family Resources Survey. We also explore the usefulness of the Wealth and Assets Survey for the study of pension protection and saving among individuals from minority ethnic groups.
We are holding events about financial adequacy in later life with individuals from younger age groups (including school-age children), older people, and local and national stakeholders; including the Department for Work and Pensions, AgeUK Southampton, Southampton City Council, The People's Pension, Citizens Advice Southampton, the Pensions Policy Institute, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pensions. This will facilitate policy, practice and public learning on pensions and other forms of saving among minority ethnic communities.
Project Impacts
The project will contribute to the evidence base and our understanding of how individuals from particular minority ethnic groups financially prepare for later life, directly informing the public and policy debate in this area. The project will also strengthen collaborations with local and national policy stakeholders and other non-academic partners.
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