What life feels like in low-income Britain

Communities Under Pressure is a new exhibition documenting, through personal testimonies, the experiences of people living in low-income Britain. The exhibition is the culmination of a three-year study into the relationship between poverty and place. Using photography and film, researchers have documented the many different personal responses local residents have to where they live. This is from a resident of Hillside in Knowsley, Merseyside. Photograph: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

The exhibition seeks to demonstrate the key findings of the research. Place matters to people, researchers found, while lower-income neighbourhoods may be rich in informal social, cultural and economic resources. This is a response from a resident in West Kensington, London. Photograph: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

In many postindustrial areas, residents told stories of loss and decline. In some places there is little confidence that the economic tide would start to turn. This photograph was taken in Hillside, Merseyside. Photograph: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

As this row of shops in Oxgangs, Edinburgh shows, local amenities are important to residents not only for their convenience but also for how they signify community wellbeing. Cuts could threaten such amenities. Photograph: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

A contribution from Hillside, Merseyside. The report also concluded that financial pressures could be relentless on households struggling to ‘get by’. People often took pride in their ability to ‘stay the course’. Photograph: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Researchers found no evidence of "brokenness". Participants showed strong affiliation to traditional values of hard work, self-reliance, responsibility and independence. This contribution comes from Oxgangs in Edinburgh. Photograph: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

A new park in Oxgangs. The research was carried out by Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research. Photographer and film-maker Andrew Robinson contributed multimedia images. The exhibition goes on show at New London Architecture from 16 June – 14 July, then will tour the UK from September, including visits to study neighbourhoods. Photograph: Joseph Rowntree Foundation