Radio & Podcasts

Poorer Than Their Parents

BBC Radio 4

Four part series, July/August 2011

Program 1: Jobs LISTEN
Program 2: Pensions LISTEN
Program 3: Inheritance LISTEN
Program 4: Housing LISTEN

Politicians have been talking a lot more about younger people in recent months. The Chancellor George Osborne says the Coalition Government has to tackle the deficit now because it wouldn't be fair to future generations to leave them a legacy of debt. While the Labour leader, Ed Miliband says Britain's in danger of raising the first generation for some time to be worse off than their parents. Financial guru Alvin Hall assesses these claims and offers advice to young people and their families about how to tackle the financial problems facing today's youth.

Each program in this four-part series will focus on a different theme, from housing and employment through to pensions and inheritance. Through the families and individuals he meets, Alvin will assess whether the sons and daughters of Britain's bulging baby-boomer generation really will be worse off than their parents. From the young estate agent struggling to get on the housing ladder while his father controls a large buy-to-let portfolio, to the student struggling to fund a vital internship to kick-start his career—Alvin Hall explores how younger people are navigating their way through an economy shaped by the previous generation.

The series will also shed light on a growing movement committed to raising the profile of intergenerational inequality. Alvin speaks to the founders of a new think-tank dedicated to the issue hoping to shape public policy and he speaks to the young journalist who's dubbed his contemporaries the 'jilted generation'.