Short Changed

A few decades ago, it wouldn't be unreasonable to imagine that if you got a good education, worked hard, then after a couple of years of renting you could buy your first home.

Not so in 2026. These days having a home increasingly depends on parental help, inheritance or very high earnings, something that Senior Researcher Conor Nakkan explores with Anna Clarke, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the Housing Forum. 

While s...

Nothing can be certain, except death and taxes. But our tax system can also shape inequality and increase gaps between generations.

Conor sits down to talk with Dr Julian Limberg, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at King's College London, about how our system rewards wealth rather than work, how to change our system to make it fairer for younger generations, and whether a wealth tax would really work.

If you want to find out more abo...

This week Conor sits down with Cameron Garrett, Deputy Director of Research at More in Common, which tries to understand what Britons think and why.

They discuss what younger people want from politics, why so many are voting Green, the steep decline in political trust and whether our democracy serves the interests of younger generations. 

If you want to find out more about the work of the Intergenerational Foundation:

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In the first episode of this new series, Conor Nakkan explores the issue of student finance and higher education with Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at WonkHE.

Jim says: "One of the things I constantly say is this system is like an onion. There are lots of layers. Every time you remove one, you're more likely to cry."

This complex subject has finally made headlines in recent months after years of campaigning from students and gradua...

Why are young people having to set aside 70% of their weekly expenditure on essential spending? Listen to IF's Toby Whelton explain our latest research findings in our newly published report “Blowing the Budget: Why the young have to spend more than the old on Essentials” 

What are the financial pressures facing young people and how should government policy change? Here's a clue; it's all about housing costs...

This episode investigates the housing crisis facing younger generations in the UK and includes a discussion between the Intergenerational Foundation's CEO, Liz Emerson and Paul Brocklehurst of the Land Planning and Development Federation, which funded IF's research into how the housing crisis is playing out on a local level. 

The Intergenerational Foundation is a research charity fighting for a fairer deal for younger and futur...

This episode explores the intergenerational fairness case for a wealth tax with discussion between IF co-founders Angus Hanton and Liz Emerson and the report author, Alec Haglund. 

It discusses how a moderate wealth tax would affect just 1% of the UK population while raising at least £18 billion a year which could be used to lower younger people's tax rates or even invest in free higher education. 

The Intergenerati...

Over the last 3 years these podcasts have been delving into a range of topics regarding intergenerational unfairness and we’ve provided a platform for dozens of people from all walks of life to have a voice. So for our season finale, it seems fitting to take us back to where we first started and talk to the people who started it all. 

The Intergenerational Foundation is a research charity fighting for a fairer deal for yo...

We’re facing a shortage of affordable houses, and historically high levels of rent. Yet, despite this- over two thirds of homes across the UK are under-occupied. How does that make sense? We have the supply of rooms, and we have the demand from young renters- what’s the need for a crisis? What IF we brought back the lodgers?

The Intergenerational Foundation is a research charity fighting for a fairer deal for younger and...

University for young people today is expensive.  Current students will be paying off their loans for the next 30 years, and 2023-24 university starters will be paying off for 40 years. Most will never repay their debt. Instead they will be on a treadmill of interest payments for the majority of their working life. What IF we didn’t have a cohort of struggling students? 

The Intergenerational Foundation is a research ...

The UK needs to make significant efforts to decarbonise its transport network. How? Well – one way to do this is limiting UK-based aviation. Flying is the most environmentally harmful modes of transport. Alternatively, travel by train is seven times more environmentally friendly than flying.  What IF we took trains instead of planes?

The Intergenerational Foundation is a research charity fighting for a fairer deal for you...

The cost of living crisis means there’s less money coming in, and more money going out. So where does this leave young people and savings? What IF saving money was possible for the young? In our first episode of Season 3, Alisa Anwar talks to IF researcher Alec Haglund, young people Rory, Cameron and John, and Curtis Banks to find out more... 

The Intergenerational Foundation is a research charity fighting for a fairer de...

The Covid 19 era has increased the intergenerational divide within the UK. So now, more than ever, we have an opportunity to shape the post-Covid world. But what should this look like? What IF, the post-Covid world benefited the young? For our Season finale, Alisa Anwar is joined by young people and the co-founders of the Intergenerational Foundation to hear their thought. 

The Intergenerational Foundation is a research charity...

COVID-19 saw the government spend vast amounts of money – from the furlough scheme, test and trace programme to PPE and vaccines rollout. On top of this our nation went into lockdown, output stalled, and we saw a 9.7% drop in our GDP. Who should pay? Well, young people have being forced to shoulder the costs of social care reform and COVID-19 spending. That's not fair. 

The Intergenerational Foundation is a resear...

Safe housing is a basic human right. This month we’re looking at how the cladding crisis impacts the young. How did we get here? What’s the solution? 

The Intergenerational Foundation is a research charity fighting for a fairer deal for younger and future generations. As the leading authority on intergenerational fairness in the UK, we produce research that challenges the status quo, shapes public debate, and drives...

Climate change is the greatest intergenerational issue facing our young. 50% of the world’s population are under 30, yet young people were not given a platform at COP to voice their opinions. So what do the young think?  On this month's podcast Alisa Anwar is joined by investment committee member and stewardship lead for The National Trust Alice Bordini-Staden, young activists Paddy, Martin, and Ishaan, and IF researcher...

And we're back for Season 2... Alisa Anwar returns to take you on a continued whistle-stop tour touching on everything we haven’t so far....but you’ll have to stay tuned to see what we have in store. First, we’re kicking off this season with a special episode- it’s special because this month is IF’s 10 year anniversary! We are grateful to Curtis Banks (a self-invested pension specialist) for sponsoring...

COVID-19 has seen the Government spend hundreds of billions of pounds in order to protect primarily the health of older generations. In fact by March 2021, the total amount spent passed £400 billion. That’s the highest rate of government borrowing outside war time! In our final podcast episode we’re going to take a look back at a year of intergenerational injustice due to the pandemic. I’ll be taking you on a whis...

Alisa Anwar is joined by Professor of Politics at Royal Holloway University (James Sloan) and digital campaigner at the Intergenerational Foundation (Liam Hill) to understand why young people are so underrepresented in British politics. With only 3% of 18-30 year olds becoming MPs, do young people even want to be involved? We talked to three young political enthusiasts (Ollie Lewis, Aisha Sembhi, and Tom Clabon) to find out more.&n...