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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPoll: Fewer Americans Blame Poverty on the Poor
As millions of Americans continue to struggle in a sluggish economy, a growing portion of the country says that poverty is caused by circumstances beyond individual control, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
The poll shows a significant shift in American opinion on the causes of poverty since the last time the question was asked, nearly 20 years ago. In 1995, in the midst of a raging political debate about welfare and poverty, less than a third of poll respondents said people were in poverty because of issues beyond their control. At that time, a majority said that poverty was caused by "people not doing enough." Now, nearly half of respondents, 47 percent, attribute poverty to factors other than individual initiative.
In hard economic times, people become more sympathetic to the poor, says Martin Gilens, Ph.D., a political scientist at Princeton University. In 1995, we were in a period of economic expansion. Even the less well-off benefitted considerably. Now were in the most visible period of dire economic circumstances for Americans. If you look around and you see that theres high unemployment and a generally poor economy, youre more likely to explain poverty through those factors.
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Though opinion shifts on the causes of poverty cross demographic lines, major divides remain. More than 60 percent of Democrats said forces outside of an individuals control are the most significant cause of poverty. The same was true of just 27 percent of Republicans*.
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/in-plain-sight/poll-fewer-americans-blame-poverty-poor-n136051
* "Are there no poorhouses?"
liberal N proud
(60,302 posts)I am sick of people blaming the poor and claiming they are all frauds and moochers.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)And who said there is nothing good about this recession? Finally I am not to blame for the fact that farm chemicals in the well water caused my daughters severe disability and led to the poverty we have lived in ever since she was born.