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

根据2001年人口普查，黑人和少数民族群体约占联合王国总人口的10%，最近对理解社会数据集的分析表明，联合王国约有14%的人认为自己属于少数民族群体。虽然黑人和少数民族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%属于黑人和少数民族群体，但预测显示，在日益多样化和老龄化的英国人口中，黑人和少数民族老年人的比例越来越大。黑人和少数民族人口与大多数白色人之间以及不同黑人和少数民族群体之间的社会经济和健康差异在文献中得到充分证明，反映出黑人和少数民族在整个生命过程和晚年生活中处于不利地位。例如，50岁及以上的巴基斯坦人、孟加拉国人和印度人比白色人更有可能报告患有限制性长期疾病，而巴基斯坦人和孟加拉国人群体比任何其他少数民族群体更有可能处于收入分配的最底层五分之一。在就业方面，25-64岁的孟加拉国和巴基斯坦男性中约有三分之一失业，在同等族裔和年龄段的女性中，这一比例超过80%。就业模式的这种差异造成黑人和少数民族群体的养恤金覆盖率低，特别是在职业和私人养恤金计划方面，研究表明，这对个人晚年面临贫困风险的可能性有影响。这种情况提出了重要的政策相关问题，涉及黑人和少数民族群体中老年人的福祉，以及未来黑人和少数民族群体养老金保护的前景。这一领域以前的许多文献都来自20世纪90年代和21世纪初。在过去十年中，东欧出现了新一轮移民潮，使黑人和少数民族人口的复杂性进一步增加。国家统计局的估计强调，英格兰和威尔士25-44岁人口中约有6%被定义为非英国“白人”。此外，许多45岁以下的亚裔和黑人是“第二代”，出生在英国。此外，过去十年来养恤金政策的变化改变了养恤金的格局，从固定福利转向固定缴款养恤金，并更加强调个人的生命历程。拟议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），研究黑人和少数民族群体中的个人在生命早期和中期的养恤金充足性前景，以及不同黑人和少数民族群体中的老年人之间以及黑人和少数民族人口与白色多数之间目前在养恤金保护方面的差异。这两个数据集包括足够的细胞计数，以研究早期（20-44），中期（45-64）和晚期（65岁及以上）的BME人群，以及与个人经济相关的一系列变量（例如，雇主养老金成员资格）和社会（例如，生活安排）资源。此外，该研究将特别关注BME群体内部和之间养老金保护的性别差异，以便更好地了解非正式护理提供对晚年养老金收入的影响，并在这一领域汲取政策相关的经验教训。拟议的研究以三种不同的方式解决了ESRC二级数据分析倡议的目标：第一，最大限度地发挥现有数据资源的价值;第二，开发高质量的证据，为未来制定黑人和少数民族群体养老金保护政策提供信息，并有助于提高这一领域社会政策的有效性;第三，让关键利益攸关方参与黑人和少数民族老年人的福祉。

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.