1983 Breadline Britain questionnaire with top-level results

Joanna Mack, Stewart Lansley and Brain Gosschalk

The 1983 Breadline Britain survey pioneered the use of socially perceived necessities asking which of a list of 33 items the respondents thought were necessary and which all people should be able to afford and should not have to do without. The list was designed to be representative of living standards by covering a cross-section of goods and activities, including heating, household goods, food, clothing, personal possessions and leisure and social activities. The survey then asked people which items they had, which items they did not have because they couldn’t afford them and, to allow for personal choice, which they did not have and did not want. The questionnaire also covers a range of other aspects of living standards and attitudes to poverty. For more information see the overview of Breadline Britain 1983.

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