The Individual, Society, or Both? A Comparison of Black, Latino, and White Beliefs about the Causes of Poverty

In a sample of southern Californians, three questions were investigated: (1) Are there race/ethnic differences in beliefs about the causes of poverty? (2) Do two social psychological variables, namely internal and external self-explanations, significantly affect beliefs about poverty net of responde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social forces 1996-09, Vol.75 (1), p.293-322
Main Author: Hunt, Matthew O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Attitudes
Beliefs
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Black White Differences
Blacks
California
California (South)
Causes
Causes of
Comparative Study
Consciousness
Cultural differences
Cultural Traits
Eigenvalues
Ethnic differences
Ethnic Groups
Ethnicity
Hispanic Americans
Hispanics
Ideology
Individualism
Individuals
Inequality
Latinos
Minority & ethnic groups
Minority Groups
Modeling
Opinion
Political sociology
Poverty
Public Opinion
Race Relations
Racial Differences
School Attitudes
Self Concept
Social Attitudes
Social beliefs
Social Environment
Social psychology
Social Responsibility
Social Stratification
Social Structure
Society
Socioeconomic status
Sociology
Structuralism
Universalism
USA
Variables
White people
Whites
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Summary:In a sample of southern Californians, three questions were investigated: (1) Are there race/ethnic differences in beliefs about the causes of poverty? (2) Do two social psychological variables, namely internal and external self-explanations, significantly affect beliefs about poverty net of respondents' background characteristics? and (3) Do the determinants of beliefs about poverty differ for blacks, Latinos, and whites? Results indicate that in each case the answer is yes. First, blacks and Latinos are more likely than whites to view both individualistic and structuralist explanations for poverty as important Second, respondents' self-explanations have significant effects on poverty beliefs. Lastly, the patterns of effects of several variables that predict beliefs about poverty differ across race/ethnic groups. Results confirm, contradict, and extend current knowledge of beliefs about poverty.
ISSN:0037-7732
1534-7605
DOI:10.1093/sf/75.1.293