In this briefing we have used Scottish figures where possible. The amount differs according to family size and type and represents the minimum income on which the Government feels a family can be expected to live. Some commentators claim that benefit rates are a flawed measure of poverty because a more generous allocation of benefits will trigger a rise in the number of people thus defined as living in poverty. In the last decade, the gap between those on Income Support and those on average earnings has widened. It is a measure of relative poverty showing how those at the bottom of the income distribution have fared in relation to those on average incomes.
Poverty is measured by counting the number of households whose income is half of the average.
The figures are not produced separately for Scotland. The figures do not include people who live in institutions like hostels and hospitals or those who are homeless, and are therefore likely to be an underestimation. Some critics say these figures are misleading. They point out the figures provide a snapshot of a particular period, and do not take into account the fact that people move in and out of poverty. The picture provided is therefore overly gloomy.