The Art of the Possible. Data-Driven Insights into Child Poverty in New Zealand

Abstract

A central goal of income support policies is to reduce the number of families below a minimum standard of living; in other words, to reduce the number of people in poverty. But one challenge is that there is no single measure of what it means to be poor. This article outlines an experimental approach that uses the available data to provide insights into the different dimensions of poverty. It applies a statistical algorithm to three poverty indicators to identify seven different categories of children in poverty, and describes the characteristics of children in each group.