THE QUALITY of living conditions of the Jamaican population has worsened, according to the results of the 2002 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC), a joint effort of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica.The findings of the survey were announced at the launch of the publication at the offices of PIOJ in New Kingston.
Carol Watson Williams, manager of the Policy Research Unit at the PIOJ, in outlining the survey which assessed the impact of the social and economic policies implemented by the Govern-ment on a yearly basis, revealed that "the incidence of poverty increased to 16.9 per cent in 2001."
RURAL AREAS
Poverty was more extreme in the rural area than in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA), and areas characterised as Other Towns, according to the findings.
However, the PIOJ was unable to provide data on the economic status of each parish as it said it was still compiling the information and would be publishing it in April.
Dr. Wesley Hughes, director-general of the PIOJ, attributed the increase in poverty primarily to the decline in earnings from tourism arising from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States and the fallout in the agriculture sector, which was affected significantly by flooding in 2002.
This, he said, resulted in a decline in the income levels of people in these sectors.
The survey also showed that the level of consumption by the population declined.
According to the breakdown, consumption in the KMA fell by 3.2 per cent, 10.2 per cent in Other Towns and 2.8 per cent in Rural Areas.
Among the areas which people spent less were: health care, food and beverages, clothing and footwear and transportation.
As a cost-cutting measure, Dr. Hughes announced that the PIOJ will now be conducting the JSLC every other year, instead of on a yearly basis. He, however, said that the poverty measure component will continue to be done yearly. This, he said, would significantly cut back on the substantial cost incurred to conduct the survey on a yearly basis.
Consumption in the KMA (Kingston Metropolitan Area) fell by 3.2 per cent, 10.2 per cent in other towns and 2.8 per cent in Rural Areas.
Expenditure on education increased by 25.5 per cent, on fuels and household supplies increased by 19.2 per cent and spending on durable goods increased by 23.8 per cent.
