Week 13 - poverty
What is the current poverty threshold for a single person under 65 years of age?
$12,316
What is the current poverty threshold for a family of four?
$23,230
What percentage of the population are below the poverty threshold
15% of population
What percentage of children are in poverty?
22% of all children are in poverty?
What is the leading cause of bankruptcy?
62% due to medical bills, even though 72% had insurance
What percentage of people will send at least one year in poverty?
67% of people will spend at least 1 year in poverty
What did Kidd's updated version of the marshmallow experiment show regarding delayed gratification?
Children in the reliable group could delay gratification while those in the unreliable condition didn't. Rational no impulsive. Self-control was not an individual trait but a product of the situation
What is the great migration?
Full scale reversal of blacks "great migration" north starting about 1965
The Great New Migration
Large-scale migration of blacks back to the south. Caused by deindustrialization of northern cities, job opportunities in the south, low cost of living in the south and improved racial relations
Relative poverty
Minimum amount of income needed in order to maintain the average standard of living in the society in which they live
What are primary causes of primary according to structural theory
Poverty can only be understood and explained with reference to political and economic characteristics of society rather than any characteristics of individuals.
Absolute poverty
Poverty defined by the minimum income needed to meet basic needs. depends on the household size
What are primary causes of poverty according to situational poverty theory?
The poor behave differently or have different lifestyles because they are poor and lack secure jobs or opportunities. Argues the poor do want to live up to the values help by the majority of society
What ethnic/racial group has the highest poverty rate?
The poverty rate is highest among blacks and hisanics
What are primary causes of poverty according to individual deficiencies theory?
The root cause of poverty lies within individuals themselves, blaming the poor. It is also tied to genetic ability and poor choices.
What are primary causes of poverty according to Subculture of poverty theory?
Tries to explain why we see group differences especially across generations. Culture affects personality traits and values which leads to poor decisions (individual deficiencies)
How does the U.S poverty rate compare to other industrialized nations?
We rank 34/35 below nearly all European nations.
What group has the the higher number of individuals in poverty?
Whites because whites are the largest racial/ethnic group there are greater number of whites in poverty than any other.
