6:55am UK, Tuesday April 25, 2006

People brought up in poverty are at least twice as likely to be poor as those from better-off homes, new research shows.

One in five teenagers from poor households in the 1970s are no better off than their parents were.

This compares to one in 10 people who did not live in poverty, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Its study also found breaking out of poverty is becoming more difficult.

The report said it was hard to pinpoint why successive generations of a family remained poor.

But it found low incomes were often accompanied by other forms of deprivation.

These included low parent education and living in run-down neighbourhoods.

The researchers said the answer is to give people the chance to improve their skills and get better-paid jobs.

Paul Dornan, of the Child Poverty Action Group, said: "This report shows just how important it is to end child poverty once and for all.

"Breaking the cycle of disadvantage is vital if we are to create a fairer society and genuinely open up opportunity for all."