This chapter looks longitudinally at the role of the financial circumstances of families with children who were on low incomes before COVID-19, and the influence this had on their experiences during the pandemic. We draw on data from a qualitative longitudinal study comprising three waves of interviews completed between 2015 and early 2020, with follow-up interviews carried out in September and October 2020. Presenting key findings from the research and two comparative case studies for discussion, the chapter highlights the way that factors including work (in)security and income stability, support networks, and physical and mental health intersected to shape the extent to which families managed to make ends meet both before and during the pandemic when faced with additional challenges and costs. Taking account of multiple stressors and how they can pile up illustrates the range of issues across policy areas that face families on low incomes.
Epdf and ePUB available Open Access under CC BY NC ND licence.The COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone – but, for some, existing social inequalities were exacerbated, and this created a vital need for research.Researchers found themselves operating in a new and difficult context; they needed to act quickly and think collectively to embark on new research despite the constraints of the pandemic. This book presents the collaborative process of 14 research projects working together during COVID-19. It documents their findings and explains how researchers in the voluntary sector and academia responded methodologically, practically, and ethically to researching poverty and everyday life for families on low incomes during the pandemic.This book synthesises the challenges of researching during COVID-19 to improve future policy and practice.Also see ‘A Year Like No Other: Family Life on a Low Income in COVID-19’ to find out more about the lived experiences of low-income families during the pandemic.This book synthesises the challenges of researching everyday life for families on low incomes during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve future policy and practice.