POVERTY GAPS DECREASE BETWEEN RACES, AGES, & GENDERS--BUT NOT BETWEEN RICH AND POOR

[Diane Monaco <diane.monaco@xxxxxxxxx>]

POVERTY GAPS IN THE U.S. BETWEEN THE RACES, AGE GROUPS, AND GENDERS
DECREASED STEADILY SINCE 1995--- BUT STILL A WAYS TO GO

THE GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR KEEPS INCREASING

           A study by Manchester College researchers used US Census
data to compare poverty rates for different subgroups in the U.S
population. The good news is that the difference in poverty rates for
Whites vs. other racial-ethnic groups decreased five of the seven years
since 1995, dropping 20% overall.  Also, the inequality in poverty rate
between children and adults decreased six of those same seven years
(dropping 14%  over that time period). While for gender, five of six
years showed a decrease (with no change one year and a 3% decrease
overall).

In one area, the news is not good.  Inequality in income between the
richest and the poorest households increased five of six years (with no
data available for 2002 and an overall increase of 9%).  Do we really
want a divided society, where people live in different neighborhoods,
have different opportunities, and their children attend separate
schools, depending on how much money their family has? Because that is
the consequence of high income inequality, said researcher Bradley
Yoder, Ph.D. and Professor of Sociology and Social Work.

Even the good news of the narrowing race, age, and gender gaps is
tempered by a continuing reality. For racial poverty disparity, though
there was a statistically significant downward trend (non-Hispanic
Whites compared to Blacks, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics);
non-Whites were still 162 percent more likely to be in poverty than
Whites in 2002. In that year, 7.8 percent of non-Hispanic Whites lived
below the poverty line, as opposed to 22.7 percent of Blacks, 10.2
percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders, and 21.8 percent of people of
Hispanic origin. If the improvement found from 1995 to 2002 continued
at that same, consistent pace, it would still take until 2018--or even
2031--for parity to be reached (depending on the mathematical model
used).

Similarly, though there was a statistically significant downward trend
for age, those under 18 years old were still 58% more likely to be in
poverty in 2002 than those who were older (a poverty rate of 16.7% for
the former and 10.6% for those adults 18 and over).  While the gap
between the genders generally decreased from 1995-2002, the trend did
not reach statistical significance, with 13.3% of women  versus 10.9%
of men still remaining  in poverty in 2002.

The government-calculated poverty threshold is $9,183 for a single
person, $11,756 for a two-person household, and $18,392 for a
four-person household. The very poor?those living below 50 percent of
poverty level?constituted 4.9 percent of the population in 2002, a
decline from 5.3 percent in 1995. Yet, the gap between poor and rich
increased significantly over that time. As noted by researcher James
Brumbaugh-Smith, Ph.D. and Associate Professor of Mathematics, __The
income gap between the top 5 percent and the lowest 10 percent of U.S.
households is the greatest it has been since government tracking began
in 1967.__

As contended by Abigail Fuller,  Associate Professor of Sociology at
Manchester College. __We could conceivably end up with a society in
which everyone has an equal chance of being rich, regardless of
racial-ethnic background or gender or age?but in which everyone also
has an equal chance of being poor, and there are a lot of poor people.
In fact, while Whites have a lower poverty rate, about 68 percent of
all poor people are White. While affirmative action is important, these
people will not be helped by poverty eradication efforts that focus
only on racial or gender discrimination.__

So, there is some good news and reason to hope for the future. At the
same time, all is not well now and will not be for at least the
immediate future. As lead researcher Neil Wollman, Professor of
Psychology and Senior Fellow notes, __These income gaps are not good
for a society which holds equality as a primary value. Happiness is
affected both by how important values are played out in the world and
how individuals feel that they stack up to their fellow citizens.__


These figures come from the National Index of Violence and Harm,
constructed to measure trends in the levels of violence and harm to
individuals in the United States. The index is calculated yearly by
professors and students at Manchester College in Indiana, by comparing
current figures to the base year of 1995. Two different scales and 19
variables are included. Personal violence and harm includes violence
against others and against oneself, such as deaths from drug overdose
and sexual assault. Societal violence and harm includes such factors as
lack of health insurance, air pollution, and occupational death that
result from overall societal forces or institutions related to
government, corporations, or families. See complete details at:
http://www.manchester.edu/links/violenceindex/

The researchers: (primary contact) Neil Wollman, Ph.D., Senior Fellow
of the Manchester College Peace Studies Institute and Professor of
Psychology: 260.982.5346; njwollman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Bradley L. Yoder,
Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Social Work:260.982.5366,
blyoder@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx; James P. Brumbaugh-Smith, Ph.D., Associate
Professor of Mathematics:260.982.5011, jpbrumbaugh-smith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Manchester College students involved in the research were Heidi Gross
of North Manchester, IN, Benjamin E. Leiter of New Windsor, MD.; Amy L.
Fry-Miller of Fort Wayne, IN., and Erin H. McCourt of Fremont, CA