The Dimensions of Poverty: Public Perceptions of the Deserving Poor

How the public perceives the poor, and circumstances under which the poor deserve public assistance, are not adequately understood by social researchers and policy makers. In this paper, public perceptions of the poor will be examined in order to better understand what constitutes the "deservin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science research 1993-09, Vol.22 (3), p.312-332
Main Author: Will, J.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Distributive Justice
Income Maintenance Programs
Low Income Groups
Perceptions
Poverty
Public Opinion
Social Acceptance
Social Perception
Social research
Social Science
Welfare Recipients
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Summary:How the public perceives the poor, and circumstances under which the poor deserve public assistance, are not adequately understood by social researchers and policy makers. In this paper, public perceptions of the poor will be examined in order to better understand what constitutes the "deserving" poor in the mind of the public. Using the 1986 General Social Survey, and the supplemental factorial survey component included in that year, responses to a number of vignettes portraying hypothetical families are examined in order to better understand levels of public support for the poor, and whom the public perceives as the "deserving poor."
ISSN:0049-089X
1096-0317
DOI:10.1006/ssre.1993.1016