Change with attitude
Oxfam believes in a society in which people living in poverty are treated with dignity and respect. The media, public and politicians recognise that poverty is not the fault of the individual but a result of significant and complex barriers that people face. And because of this, government implements policies that ensure no one in the UK lives in poverty.
People know about poverty overseas. When asked what poverty means to them, most people will talk about poverty in other countries where Oxfam works.
But they often struggle to understand poverty in the UK People’s responses often reflect misunderstandings and stereotypes. Many people:
- Wrongly believe that in the UK, poverty is largely the fault of the individual.
- Wrongly distinguish between those who ‘deserve to be poor’ and those who don’t.
- Wrongly imagine that ‘freeloaders’ take advantage of a generous welfare state, without giving anything back.
Decision makers are not much better.
They often fail to take into account the experience and views of those whom new projects and services are meant to benefit.
And the language they use reinforces the problem.
When government contrasts ‘hard working families’ with those ‘languishing on benefits’, they pander to an unfair and inaccurate portrayal of the lives of people experiencing poverty.
Negative attitudes keep people poor.
Hostile public and media attitudes mean decision makers cannot implement policies that truly overcome poverty, even if they want to.
In Oxfam’s experience, no one chooses to be poor: circumstances beyond an individual’s control trap people in poverty.
And changing public and political attitudes to poverty can have a real impact. The public - outraged at this level of poverty in such a rich developed country - will put pressure on government to do something about it.
What we're doing
The media often dismisses people living in poverty as scroungers and freeloaders – in fact, people on low incomes make a huge positive contribution through activities such as unpaid caring work, volunteering, or support for local communities. We are researching the contribution that people on low incomes make to society.
We work with the media, ensuring that journalists can get hold of factual information about the reality of poverty in the UK, and we respond to negative and inaccurate reporting.
We are members of the Get Fair coalition, a national campaign calling for an end to poverty in the UK.
And we support community-led initiatives, like Sunny Govan radio station, which is changing attitudes across Glasgow.
Throughout our work, we act to empower people experiencing poverty to speak out on the issues that matter to them. Issues such as:
- local regeneration planning
- influencing policy
- influencing media and public opinions
- using peer research to find out about the reality of poverty.
What we're calling for
Everyone – you, me, our friends and neighbours, the media, local and national government, and people who run and staff public services – should challenge our own and other people’s attitudes to people living in poverty. Only when we all understand the reality of poverty in the UK can we really aim to abolish it for good.
RSS feed
