This guide provides a comprehensive account of the potential of national statistical data and administrative records to provide additional information on poverty. It draws out principal sources of data, focusing in particular on national survey data, data from administrative records and area-based information. This study outlines a number of challenges with respect to accessing and using such data sources, namely the format of data, technical and human resource constraints, and ethical constraints and legal boundaries. Particular attention is given to secondary data sources on:
- Income poverty
- Wealth and indebtedness
- Unemployment and long-term unemployment
- Educational disadvantage
- Housing, accommodation and homelessness
- Health
- Drug misuse
- Equality.
Attention is also given to groups at high risk of poverty:
- Lone parents
- Minority ethnic groups
- Women, children and older people
- People with disabilities
The guide concludes by highlighting some remaining poverty data gaps and possible measures towards addressing them.