Kia ora from Jess,
A few years ago I carried out some deep research on all the things that we have collectively tried to improve outcomes for children, young people and their parents in poverty. I started that work thinking that we just needed more people to understand the evidence of what works. That was true in part, but over the years, I have come to understand that in order to connect people with that evidence, especially the harmful nature of highly conditional support systems, we need to center the humanity of people in poverty, especially their grit and determination. We also need people to see and understand the systemic issues that cause poverty and explain exactly how they overload people.
So it is that I watch with deep sadness (and frustration and anger), as I hear again people in leadership talking about ‘personal responsibility’, ‘hard work as the answer’, ‘no free rides’ . Yes, the individualism narrative is being drawn upon strongly by people in politics at the moment. As individualism dominates communications about poverty it ultimately undermines our collective ability to reason about the real causes and solutions to poverty.
However, people in politics do respond to people in the public and we, as advocates, researchers, and community members, can help to better connect the public and our decision makers with what is true about the causes and solutions to poverty. We can do so by framing (or talking) about poverty and welfare in ways shown to deepen people’s understanding. These communication shifts can influence how people reason, unlock support for different solutions, and lead to decision makers putting better policies in place. Policies that care for people and put in place the conditions that enable people to contribute in ways that work for them, centers care for kids and families in poverty, and benefit us all.
Last year CPAG commissioned The Workshop to produce a short guide on how to talk about the causes of poverty.
You can read that here.
It is an absolute pleasure to see some of the recommendations in that guide in action by advocate Max Harris who leads ActionStations Fairer Futures campaign. Max nails five things that we recommend when talking about poverty. Things that help better connect people to what is true.
Recommendation #1
Flip the narrative from 'welfare is the problem' to 'Poverty is the problem' and we need solutions that work
By navigating around the frame that “welfare and by extension people in receipt of welfare is a problem” and instead presenting a different frame “poverty is the problem” Max is able to redirect the narrative with a focus on what we need to be talking about – poverty and its causes.
Message testing done in the UK, and replicated by us here in NZ, has shown that starting our communications with ‘poverty is the problem’ directs people away from the unhelpful shared mindsets that see people reasoning that giving people a ‘free ride’ on welfare is the real cause of people’s difficulties.
We know that for most people in poverty, it is many of our policies, systems and structures (including the conditional and problematic nature of our welfare systems) that cause poverty and ongoing stress. Preventing them from contributing in the ways they would like to society. The ‘poverty is the problem’ reframe enables us to draw attention to these systems. Which leads to the next thing Max did well…
Recommendation #2
Consistently explain how it is the system’s problems that are causing poverty, using data wisely to support that story
Through the interview Max sought to explain the upstream conditions in our society that sweep people into poverty and keep them there. From education systems that don't meet all children's needs, employment rules, low wages, jobs that drain the joy from people’s lives, the global economy, COVID, intergenerational trauma in families, and lack of support. He uses data in a judicious way to support his explanations. If people are being led to reason that poverty is due to individual and group failings, it is important to use communications to redirect them. To explain how it is the systems and structures that sweep people into poverty and hold them there.
Some of you may have picked up the metaphors that we can use to support these deeper explanations about the causes of poverty. ‘Sweeping people into poverty’ is a metaphor we recommend, as well as ‘overloaded’, and ‘constrained’ or ‘locked in’.
Recommendation #3
Constantly highlight the humanity and strength of people living in poverty
People in poverty are strong, determined and by necessity amazing problem solvers. Frankly you have to be if you have ever had to negotiate the fiendishly complex and frustrating support systems. By highlighting the strength of people in poverty, sharing in their own words their goals, aspirations, and dreams, we can redirect people away from reasoning that people in poverty are “lesser” than.
People need personal stories of humanity. These stories need to be strength led, not deficit led. And they need to highlight the way in which people have to struggle against the system, and how much that constrains them and prevents them thriving.
Recommendation #4
Show our shared values on the issue. In this case, more people in NZ want to support people in poverty than do not
Max really pushes back against the journalist's statements that most people in NZ believe welfare is a big problem and want more sanctions, using data collected on people's attitudes to welfare and beliefs about increasing welfare payments. It's an example where journalists take the frame presented to them by the politicians and then use it to drive all their questions through. By showing that most people in New Zealand value a welfare system that supports people, and puts care, compassion, and connection at its heart, Max successfully rejects that framing and the implication it is a widely held belief (that is untrue). Helping show people just what a minority view it is.
Recommendation #5
Get to solutions quickly
Finally, having successfully reframed the conversation and explained the causes of poverty, we have created an opening to present the systemic solutions that we know will work. And we have plenty of research and recommendations out there to assist with that.
The interview with Max is well worth a watch!
Finally, on a sad note I wanted to reflect on the life and contribution of Fa'anānā Efeso Collins. Many of us at The Workshop have had the pleasure of working with him. I had the honor of speaking at a child poverty panel with Fa’anānā. I heard a human being so clear on the intrinsic and collective values that guided him and his work - it was inspiring. He held us all to account on child poverty, especially the way in which our systems harmed Pacific children and families. He challenged those who continue to imply that those experiencing poverty are anything but loving, determined and strong people being overloaded by unjust systems. His loss is devastating to so many of us, his family most of all.
May the seeds you have sown Fa'anānā Efeso Collins help us grow the world we know is within our power to create. The Workshop Team
Ngā mihi
Jess