Squeezed middle has actually prospered, claims thinktank

The economic problems of so-called "squeezed middle" families those on low to middle incomes have been exaggerated, according to new analysis which concludes that many have thrived since the beginning of the economic downturn in 2008.

The Social Market Foundation (SMF), an independent thinktank, will challenge the prevailing view that this group has been stuck in a negative spiral of declining real wages and lack of hope, and assert that as a group it has demonstrated "remarkable resilience", with more than four in 10 families moving up the income scale.