Poverty and Welfare: People’s Chief Concerns

1. Poverty and Welfare:People’s Chief Concerns Source: Public Agenda, accessed on January 3 at http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/pcc_detail2.cfm

2. Fulfiliing Our Nation’s Ideals • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? • "As long as so many Americans are poor or homeless, our nation has failed to live up to its ideals.” A. Strongly agree B. Somewhat agree C. Strongly disagree D. Somewhat Disagree E. Don’t know

3. Survey Organization: Public AgendaSponsored by National Constitution CenterSample: 1,520 adults
Methodology: Telephone interview conducted July 10-24, 2002

4. Survey Facts Questions 2-12; 17-21 • Survey Organization: International Communications Research, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard UniversitySponsored by National Public Radio • Sample: 1,952 adults
Methodology: Telephone interview conducted Jan. 4-Feb. 27, 2001
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent because of rounding.

5. Efficacy of Government Programs • Question: Do you think government programs that try to improve the condition of poor people in this country are: A. generally making things better, B. making things worse, or C. aren't having much of an impact one way or another D. Don’t know

6. Efficacy of Government Programs

7. Can We Eliminate Poverty? • Question: If the government were willing to spend whatever it thought was necessary to eliminate poverty in the United States, do you think that this is something that could be accomplished, or not? A. Yes B. No C. Don’t Know

8. Can We Eliminate Poverty?

9. For each of the following, please tell me if this is a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all. Keep a record of your answers as we go along. drug abuse medical bills decline in moral values too many part-time or low-wage jobs too many single parents poor people lacking motivation poor public schools the welfare system a shortage of jobs Causes of Poverty

10. Causes of Poverty • Question: Is drug abuse a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

11. Causes of Poverty:drug abuse

12. Causes of Poverty • Question: Are medical bills a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

13. Causes of Poverty:medical bills

14. Causes of Poverty • Question: Is a decline in moral values a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

15. Causes of Poverty:a decline in moral values

16. Causes of Poverty • Question: Is too many part-time or low-wagejobs a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

17. Causes of Poverty:too many part-time or low-wagejobs

18. Causes of Poverty • Question: Is too many single parents a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

19. Causes of Poverty:too many single parents

20. Causes of Poverty • Question: Is poor people lacking motivation a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

21. Causes of Poverty:poor people lacking motivation

22. Causes of Poverty • Question: Are poor public schools a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

23. Causes of Poverty:poor public schools

24. Causes of Poverty • Question: Is the welfare system a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

25. Causes of Poverty:the welfare system

26. Causes of Poverty • Question: Is a shortage of jobs a major cause of poverty, a minor cause of poverty, or not a cause at all? • Major • Minor • Not at all • Don’t know

27. Causes of Poverty:a shortage of jobs

28. Causes of Poverty

29. Anxiety about Becoming Poor • Question: Does the possibility of becoming poor worry you a great deal, worry you just a little, or doesn't it worry you at all? A. A great deal B. A little C. Not at all D. Don’t know

30. Anxiety about Becoming Poor

31. Do the poor work enough? • Question: Do you think that poor people in the United States are people who work but can't earn enough money, or people who don't work? A. Work B. Don’t work C. Don’t know

32. Do the poor work enough?

33. Survey Facts Questions 15-16 • Survey Organization: Princeton Survey Research AssociatesSponsored by The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press • Sample: 985 adults
 • Methodology: Telephone interview conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 10, 1999 • Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent because of rounding

34. Government Responsibility • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? • It is the responsibility of the government to take care of people who can't take care of themselves. • Completely agree • Mostly agree • Mostly disagree • Completely disagree • Don’t know

35. Government Responsibilitytake care of people

36. Government Responsibility • Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? • The government should help more needy people even if it means going deeper into debt. • Completely agree • Mostly agree • Mostly disagree • Completely disagree • Don’t know

37. Government ResponsibilityRun a deficit

38. Major change is welfare laws? • Question: To the best of your knowledge, has there been a major change in welfare laws in the past eleven years, or not? A. Yes B. No C. Don’t know

39. Major change is welfare laws? Source: NPR / Kaiser / Harvard 2001Sample: 1,952 adults

40. Welfare Reform • Question: Just to refresh your memory, the new welfare law, which Congress passed in 1996, ends the federal guarantee of public assistance to the poor. It also requires able-bodied recipients to work within two years. It sets a lifetime limit on federal benefits of five years for most people. And it gives the states a lot of flexibility. All in all, do you think the new welfare law is working well, or not? A. Working well B. Not working well C. Don’t know

41. Welfare ReformSource: NPR / Kaiser / Harvard 2001Sample: 1,024 adults who say there has been a major change in the welfare laws in the past eleven years

42. Reasons for success of welfare reform • Question: There are many reasons people give for why they think the new law is working well. I'm going to read you a few of them. Please tell me whether each is a major reason you think the new law is working well, a minor reason, or not a reason at all.

43. Sample: 613 adults who say the new welfare law is working well

44. Work Opportunity • Question: Do you think there are jobs available for most welfare recipients who really want to work or not? A. Yes B. No C. Don’t know

45. Work OpportunitySource: NPR / Kaiser / Harvard 2001

46. Work OpportunitySource: NPR / Kaiser / Harvard 2001 1,477 adults who say there are jobs available • Question: Do you think most of the jobs they can get pay enough to support a family or not? A. Yes B. No C. Don’t know

47. Work OpportunitySource: NPR / Kaiser / Harvard 20011,477 adults who say there are jobs available

48. Are poor people needy? • Question: In your opinion, do you think that most people who receive money from welfare today could get along without it if they tried, or do you think that most of them really need this help? • Could get along without it • Really need it • Don’t know

49. Are poor people needy? Source: NPR / Kaiser / Harvard 2001Sample: 1,952 adults

50. Incentives to Have Children • Question: Do you think that welfare encourages women to have more children than they would have if they were not able to get welfare, or not? • Yes • No • Don’t know