Poverty and the distribution of income in Northern Ireland

Abstract

This paper uses the 1985 Family Expenditure Survey sample to examine the extent and incidence of poverty in Northern Ireland and to explore the relationship with the distribution of income. The study concludes that incomes are less equally divided in Northern Ireland than in Great Britain. The relative extent of poverty in Northern Ireland is a question that cannot be answered so straightforwardly since its extent varies with the measure employed. The indices of inequality are decomposed by family type and economic status. The major contribution to inequality came from within the population subgroups rather than between them.