Socio-Tenurial Polarization in the United Kingdom, 1953-83: The Income Evidence

Abstract

Family Expenditure Survey data show a widening gap between the incomes of households in different tenures during the period 1953 to 1983. In particular, a major gap has opened up between the two major tenures as the median income of owner occupied households (relative to the national average) has risen whereas that for local authority tenants has fallen sharply. Recent years have seen an acceleration of these trends and the local authority sector is now increasingly characterised by those on low incomes.