Pension protection for minority ethnic groups in Britain: determinants, prospects and policy implications

根据2001年人口普查，黑人和少数族裔(BME)群体约占英国总人口的10%，最近对谅解协会数据集的分析显示，约14%的英国人将自己定义为少数族裔群体。尽管BME人口的年龄结构相对年轻，50岁及以上的英国总人口中只有4%属于BME群体，但预测显示，在日益多样化和老龄化的英国人口中，BME老年人的比例越来越高。BME人群和占多数的白人之间以及不同BME群体之间的社会经济和健康差异在文献中得到了很好的证明，并反映了在整个生命过程和以后的生活中处于不利地位。例如，50岁及以上的巴基斯坦人、孟加拉人和印度人比白人更有可能报告患有局限性的长期疾病，而巴基斯坦和孟加拉国人比其他任何少数民族群体更有可能处于收入分配的最低五分之一。在就业方面，25岁至的孟加拉国和巴基斯坦男子中约有三分之一失业，同等种族和年龄段的妇女中这一比例超过80%。就业模式的这种差异导致BME群体的养老金覆盖率较低，特别是在职业养老金计划和私人养老金计划方面，研究表明，这些计划会影响个人在晚年经历贫困风险的可能性。这一背景提出了与政策有关的重要问题，涉及来自BME群体的老年人的福祉，以及未来BME人群中养老金保护的前景。这一领域以前的大部分文献都来自20世纪90年代和21世纪初。在过去的十年里，来自东欧的新一轮移民潮进一步增加了BME人口的复杂性。英国国家统计局的估计显示，英格兰和威尔士25-44岁的人口中，约有6%被定义为非英国白人。此外，亚裔和黑人中许多年龄在45岁以下的人都是出生在英国的第二代人。此外，过去十年来养恤金政策的变化改变了养恤金的格局，从固定收益转向固定缴款养恤金，并更加重视个人的生命历程。拟议的项目旨在利用两个具有全国代表性的数据集(了解社会和劳动力调查)，以研究来自BME群体的个人在中早年养老金充足性的前景，以及来自不同BME群体的老年人之间以及BME群体和白人多数群体之间目前在养老金保护方面的差异。这两个数据集包括足够的细胞计数，以研究早期(20-44岁)、中期(45-)和晚年(65岁及以上)的BME人群，以及与个人经济状况(例如。雇主养老金会员资格)和社会性(例如生活安排)资源。此外，研究将特别关注BME群体内部和之间的养老金保护方面的性别差异，以更好地了解非正式护理提供对晚年养老金收入的影响，并在这一领域吸取与政策相关的经验教训。拟议的研究从三个不同的方面阐述了ESRC二次数据分析倡议的目标：第一，通过最大化现有数据资源的价值；第二，通过开发高质量的证据，为未来BME群体养老金保护领域的政策设计提供信息，并有助于该领域社会政策的有效性；第三，让主要利益攸关方参与BME老年人的福祉领域。

According to the 2001 Census, persons from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups comprised about 10% of the total UK population, and more recent analysis of the Understanding Society dataset shows that about 14% of the UK's define themselves as belonging to a minority ethnic group. Although the age structure of the BME population is relatively young and only 4% of the total UK population aged 50 and over belong to BME groups, projections show an increasing share of BME older people in an increasingly diverse and ageing UK population. Socio-economic and health differentials between the BME population and the White majority, and between different BME groups, have been well-evidenced in the literature and reflect a disadvantageous position across the life course and in later life. For example, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian persons aged 50 and over are more likely to report a limiting long-standing illness than their White counterparts, while the Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups are more likely than any other ethnic minority group to be at the bottom quintile of the income distribution. In terms of employment, about one-third of Bangladeshi and Pakistani men aged 25-64 are unemployed, and the proportion among women in the equivalent ethnic and age group is more than 80%. Such differentials in employment patterns contribute to low pension coverage among BME groups, particularly in terms of occupational and private pension schemes which research has shown to make a difference in an individual's likelihood of experiencing a poverty risk in later life. This context raises important policy-relevant questions about the wellbeing of older people from BME groups, and about the prospects of pension protection among future cohorts of BME persons. Much of the previous literature in this area is from the 1990s and early 2000s. Over the past decade, there has been a new wave of migration from Eastern Europe that has added a further layer of complexity to the BME population. Estimates from ONS highlight that around 6% of the population aged 25-44 in England and Wales are defined as non-British 'White'. Moreover, many of those aged under 45 from the Asian and Black ethnic populations are 'second generation', having been born in the UK. Furthermore, changes in pensions policy over the past decade have transformed the pensions landscape, with a shift away from defined benefit towards defined contribution pensions and a greater emphasis on the individual life course. Thus it is timely to revisit this area.The proposed project aims to exploit two nationally-representative datasets (Understanding Society and Labour Force Survey) in order to study the prospects of pension adequacy among individuals from BME groups in early- and mid-life, as well as the current differentials in pension protection between older persons from different BME groups, and between the BME population and the White majority. The two datasets include sufficient cell counts in order to study the BME population in early (20-44), mid- (45-64) and later (65 and over) life, and a range of variables which relate to the individuals' economic (eg. employer pension membership) and social (eg. living arrangements) resources. In addition, the research will pay particular attention to gender differences in pension protection within and between BME groups, in order to better understand the impact of informal care provision on pension income in later life, and to draw policy-relevant lessons in this area.The proposed research addresses the aims of the ESRC's Secondary Data Analysis Initiative in three distinct ways: firstly, by maximising the value of existing data resources; secondly, by developing high-quality evidence which can inform the future design of policy in the area of pension protection for BME groups and contribute to the effectiveness of social policy in this field; and thirdly, by engaging key stakeholders in the area of the wellbeing of BME older persons.