The UK economy has begun to recover over the past year but households' financial positions remain under strain. Elevated unemployment, weak earnings growth and restricted credit availability still pose a problem for some households. But the low level of Bank Rate has continued to bear down on...

This paper provides a self-contained introduction to the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), concentrating on aspects relevant to analysis of the distribution of household income. I discuss BHPS design features and how data on net household income are derived. The BHPS net household income...

A set of newly added questions in the 2011 to 2014 Bank of England/NMG Consulting Survey reveals that British households are estimated to change their consumption by significantly more in reaction to temporary and unanticipated falls in income than to rises of the same size. Household balance...

Over the past year the recovery in the UK economy appears to have slowed. That weakness in UK demand has been driven by falling consumption, reflecting the challenging environment facing households. This article examines the factors affecting households' budgets and spending decisions using the...

The financial situation of households is a key determinant of how they respond to changes in the economy and monetary policy. In our latest survey of British households, conducted in September, households' income expectations were stable, but spending expectations fell slightly. While...