A Study of all Aspects of Poverty in the UK, with comparative Statistics and commentary. Poverty: the Facts is established as the standard reference work for facts and figures on poverty in the UK today. Illuminating the extent and nature of poverty, and also its causes and consequences, it is used by a wide range of students, academics, researchers and commentators, as well as by anti-poverty campaigners. In this fully revised and updated edition the authors report the latest findings, based primarily on official statistics released since the previous edition in 1996. The book draws on a wide range of data and research evidence to demonstrate the complex nature of poverty in contemporary Britain and the extent to which it has changed in recent decades. For the first time since CPAG began publishing Poverty: the Facts, there is a government in power with a specific commitment to fighting poverty, and in particular child poverty. This book will therefore be widely used as a yardstick for measuring the Government's success in reaching its stated objectives. As well as setting out the latest statistics, Poverty: the Facts provides comparisons with Europe, reveals the extent of income and regional inequalities, and shows how different sections of society fare - particularly women and ethnic minorities. With its coverage of the many dimensions of contemporary poverty, this book is without doubt the most comprehensive and authoritative assessment of the subject.