Intergenerational economic injustice: Professor Jane Falkingham on BBC Radio 4

CPC-CG Director Professor Jane Falkingham CBE was recently interviewed for BBC Radio 4’s The Briefing Room, outlining current shifts between generations in terms of economic injustice, discussing whether older generations are becoming wealthier while younger working-age adults become poorer.

She highlighted the ageing population in the UK, with fewer working-age adults to contribute towards the large baby boom cohort moving into retirement over the next 10-15 years. Professor Falkingham commented that with an ageing population, extending working lives is essential, stressing the need for meaningful support systems to support more older workers to stay healthy, productive and able to continue contributing.

Connecting Generations member Sophie Hale, Principal Economist at the Resolution Foundation, also appeared on the episode discussing how, for the first time, older people are faring better in terms of wealth than younger working-age people.

Presented by David Aaronovitch, other guests on the episode were Bobby Duffy, Professor of Public Policy at King’s College, London, and Xiaowei Xu, Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, all invited to look at the facts and ask whether the old are robbing the young and if so what should be done about it?

Listen to the full episode:



The episode is also available to download from BBC Radio 4 The Briefing Room

Posted 18/12/2025 09:18