Official statistics tend to rely on a headcount approach to poverty measurement, distinguishing ‘the poor’ from the ‘non-poor’ on the basis of an anchored threshold. Invariably, this does little to engage with the gradations of material hardship affecting those living, to varying degrees, below the poverty line. In response, this paper interrogates an apparent flatlining in UK poverty to establish the changing profile of poverty, as well as those most affected by it. Drawing on the Family Resources survey, this paper reveals an increasing depth of poverty in the UK since 2010, with bifurcation observable in the living standards of different percentile groups below the poverty line. In addition, this paper demonstrates substantial compositional changes in the socio-demographic profile of (deep) poverty. Since 2010, the likelihood of falling into deep poverty has increased for women, children, larger families, Black people and those in full-time work. Within the context of COVID-19, I argue there is a need to re-think how we currently conceptualise poverty by better attending to internal heterogeneity within the broader analytical and methodological category of ‘the poor’. Doing so raises pressing questions about the prevailing modes of poverty measurement that tend to frame and delimit the social scientific analysis of poverty, as well as the policies deemed appropriate in tackling it.

官方统计倾向于依赖人口统计方法来衡量贫困，根据固定阈值区分“穷人”和“非穷人”。总是，这对于影响生活在贫困线以下的人们的物质困难等级几乎没有什么作用。作为回应，本文探讨了英国贫困明显趋于平缓的情况，以确定贫困状况的变化以及受其影响最严重的贫困状况。根据家庭资源调查，本文揭示了自 2010 年以来英国的贫困深度不断增加，贫困线以下不同百分位群体的生活水平出现了分歧。此外，本文还展示了（深度）贫困的社会人口结构的重大组成变化。自 2010 年以来，妇女、儿童、大家庭、黑人和从事全职工作的人陷入深度贫困的可能性增加了。在 COVID-19 的背景下，我认为有必要重新思考我们目前如何通过更好地关注“穷人”这一更广泛的分析和方法类别中的内部异质性来概念化贫困。这样做会引发关于贫困测量的普遍模式的紧迫问题，这些模式倾向于框架和界定贫困的社会科学分析，以及被认为适合解决贫困的政策。我认为有必要重新思考我们目前如何通过更好地关注“穷人”这一更广泛的分析和方法论范畴内的内部异质性来概念化贫困。这样做会引发关于贫困测量的普遍模式的紧迫问题，这些模式倾向于框架和界定贫困的社会科学分析，以及被认为适合解决贫困的政策。我认为有必要重新思考我们目前如何通过更好地关注“穷人”这一更广泛的分析和方法论范畴内的内部异质性来概念化贫困。这样做会引发关于贫困测量的普遍模式的紧迫问题，这些模式倾向于框架和界定贫困的社会科学分析，以及被认为适合解决贫困的政策。