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Attributions for Poverty: A Comparison of Middle‐Class and Welfare Recipient Attitudes 1
Author(s) -
Bullock Heather E.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1999.tb02295.x
Subject(s) - attribution , welfare , poverty , sample (material) , welfare reform , middle class , psychology , public welfare , social psychology , demographic economics , economics , political science , public economics , economic growth , law , chemistry , chromatography
This study compared how a nonrandom sample of 112 middle‐class persons and 124 welfare recipients explained poverty and perceived the welfare system and welfare recipients. Analyses revealed that welfare recipients were more likely to make structural attributions for poverty and to reject restrictive welfare‐reform policies. However, they were also more likely than middle‐class respondents to regard welfare recipients as dishonest and idle. Both groups underestimated the percentage of European Americans receiving public assistance. Implications for intergroup relations and public policy are discussed.