Introduction: What everyone should know about poverty in the U.S. (but few actually do)

What are the greatest myths about poverty?

The most common myths are:
1. All poor are long-term. Most are not.
2. All welfare recipients are long-term. The average period of welfare for a recipient is 3 years.
3. Most poverty is found in our nation's inner cities. Although poverty problems are often severe in these neighborhoods, many more of our nation's poor live outside of these neighborhoods. Many of our nation’s poorest families live in remote, rural areas.

How many people live below the poverty level and what is the poverty rate for the most current year?

There were 37 million people in poverty (12.6 percent) in 2005. Both the number and rate were statistically unchanged from 2004 and marked the end of four consecutive years of increases in the poverty rate (2001-2004). (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

How do people become poor?

In the United States some families become poor when a parent loses a job or when parents divorce. Most of these families are poor only for a short period of time. However, when families are poor for a long time, or when they become homeless, it is usually because they suffer from many problems not easy to overcome. Government and non-government programs attempt to offer assistance.

How do you think society on a whole perceives poverty, and what types of measures are being made to help the less fortunate?

Opinions vary. Some perceive the poor as an undeserving group of people with weak characters. Most people perceive the poor as in need of assistance, but think that the old welfare system was not providing the kind of help that people need the most. Welfare reform is the current set of measures most important for the second part of the question, but each state is implementing its own version of the reforms.

Source: The Joint Center for Poverty Research. For more information, visit the JCPR Home Page.