Inequality: Health and Wealth

The left hand map shows the proportion of people in Sheffield on income support. The right hand map shows the rate of people dying. What we see is almost a carbon copy. Across the city, where there is poverty, there are lower life expectancies, higher rates of mental health problems, still-births and teenage pregnancy. Why, in a relatively rich country, do the poor still suffer more from almost every health and social problem? The picture that comes from research is that the gap in income between rich and poor damages social relationships. With bigger differences between us, people become more worried about how they are judged, less likely to feel valued and less trusting of people they don't know. The UK is one of the most unequal economically developed countries. The top 10% own over half the UK's wealth. This impacts on the poor the most, but it affects and harms us all. The good news is that we can learn how to be more equal by looking at how our country was thirty years ago, and how many other countries are now. For more info, visit sheffieldequality.wordpress.com

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