Poverty : a study of town life / by B. Seebohm Rowntree.

  • Seebohm Rowntree
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Poverty : a study of town life / by B. Seebohm Rowntree. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    418/472 (page 382)
    taking the general population of the city, 4'67 per cent have attained that age, and in England and Wales generally 4'73 per cent have reached it. The similarity of the two last figures shows that so far as the longevity of its inhabitants goes, York may be regarded as typical of the rest of the country. One other point remains to be noticed, viz., the proportion which the population “ in poverty ” at each age bears to the total population of the city at the same age. Assuming that the proportion of the population of York at each age was the same in 1899 as in 1891 the figures will come out as under. In 1899 there were in York— Under 1 year . . 1,875 persons of wliom 1 year and under 5 years 7,185 ,, ,, 5 years ,, 15 ,, 16,571 ,, ,, 15 „ „ 65 „ 46,633 „ 65 and over . . 3,548 ,, ,, 625 or 33 ’33 ^ 2,293 or 31-91 6,228 or 37-58 11,009 or 23-60 759 or 21-39 per cent >were “in poverty.” Total (all ages) . 75,812 20,914 The main fact brought out by this table is the very large proportion of children who are “ in poverty.” It is seen that in infancy the proportion is 32 or 33 per cent, increasing possibly to 40 per cent when school ends, and then no doubt dropping very rapidly to below the mean of 23'6 per cent which applies to all ages from 15 to 65. Then the proportion again rises to a mean of 21*39 per cent for the population above 65 years of age. The explanation of the large proportion of children who are “ in poverty ” has already been given on the preceding page.