The links between poverty and relationships

The relationships that young people have with their peers and families are hugely important. Not least because they can make them more resilient when things go wrong, whether it be bullying at school or family breakdown at home.

So it is vital that these relationships are not damaged by other factors. We know that family income can affect children and young people’s lives, undermining their education, future employment and health. But does growing up in a poor household also scupper their friendships and family lives too?

Our research centre has been exploring this question by looking at data from the Millennium Cohort Study. MCS is following a sample of approximately 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000/01. Five sweeps have been conducted so far, at ages 9 months, 3, 5, 7 and 11 years, with the sixth survey, at age 14, underway.