More than one-in-two people believe that the Executive is not doing enough to tackle child poverty according to a new poll released by a children’s charity.
Commissioned by Save the Children NI and produced by LucidTalk, the latest survey is said to provide an “up-to-date picture of public attitudes on child poverty”.
It revealed that three-quarters (76%) of people in the north were concerned about the number of children in poverty, while 57% said the Executive was not taking enough action to tackle the problem.
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Four-in-five (84%) said they were concerned about the long-term impact poverty could have on children’s lives and a similar amount believe the high cost-of-living is the main reason why children are living in poverty.
Around half of those surveyed knew of children living in poverty in their neighbourhood (Alamy Stock Photo)
Additionally, over half (52%) of those surveyed said they knew children who were growing up in poverty.
Save the Children NI spokesperson Peter Bryson said that the rise in child poverty over the last decade had been “alarming” and that the data proved most people “care and want to see the government act” on the issue.
“We, with colleagues across the sector, have long been calling for an ambitious and funded costed Anti-Poverty Strategy,” he said.
“It has yet to appear, and our frustrations grow by the day for the families who live daily with the limiting realities of poverty.
“The 100,000 young lives being impacted by poverty right now deserve so much more. What will it take before decisive action is taken and the lived experiences of children in poverty are prioritised without excuse, without delay?”
The poll was conducted between March and April this year and used LucidTalk’s demographically-balanced online opinion panel of over 16,000 people across the north – almost 1,500 full responses were received.