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The Extent of Material Hardship and Poverty in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Robert Rector
  • Kirk Johnson
  • Sarah Youssef

Abstract

The Census Bureau has estimated the nation's annual poverty rate since 1963 using data from the Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted in March of each year. Census deems a household “poor” if annual income falls below specified income thresholds. There are two problems with this methodology. First, the Current Population Survey dramatically undercounts household economic resources. Second, the fact that household income falls below a specific level reveals little about the nature of material deprivation within the household. This paper will take an alternative approach to assessing poverty: examining the material living conditions of low-income Americans. Using data from various government surveys this paper examines ownership of property and consumer durables; housing space, and housing conditions; food and nutriment consumption; and the height, thinness and obesity of low-income persons. Finally, we attempt an overall assessment of material deprivation based on material living conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Rector & Kirk Johnson & Sarah Youssef, 1999. "The Extent of Material Hardship and Poverty in the United States," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(3), pages 351-387.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rsocec:v:57:y:1999:i:3:p:351-387
    DOI: 10.1080/00346769900000007
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. James X. Sullivan & Lesley Turner & Sheldon Danziger, 2008. "The relationship between income and material hardship," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 63-81.
    2. repec:pri:crcwel:wp11-02-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Corman, Hope & Noonan, Kelly & Reichman, Nancy E. & Schultz, Jennifer, 2012. "Effects of financial insecurity on social interactions," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 574-583.
    4. John Bishop & John Formby & Buhong Zheng, 1999. "Extent of Material Hardship and Poverty in the United States—Comment," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(3), pages 388-399.
    5. Iceland, John & Bauman, Kurt J., 2007. "Income poverty and material hardship: How strong is the association?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 376-396, June.
    6. Curry, Susanna R., 2017. "Childhood experiences and housing insecurity in adulthood: The salience of childhood emotional abuse," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 301-309.
    7. Mahadevan, Renuka & Hoang, Viet-Ngu, 2016. "The nexus between poverty and deprivation in Vietnam," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 290-303.
    8. repec:pri:crcwel:wp11-08-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Colleen M. Heflin & John Iceland, 2009. "Poverty, Material Hardship, and Depression," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1051-1071, December.
    10. Jonathan A. Schwabish, 2006. "Earnings Inequality and High Earners: Changes During and after the Stock Market Boom of the 1990s: Working Paper 2006-06," Working Papers 17738, Congressional Budget Office.
    11. Luis Ayala & Antonio Jurado & Jesús Pérez‐Mayo, 2011. "Income Poverty And Multidimensional Deprivation: Lessons From Cross‐Regional Analysis," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 57(1), pages 40-60, March.
    12. Isaac Addai & Jelena Pokimica, 2012. "An Exploratory Study of Trust and Material Hardship in Ghana," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 413-438, December.
    13. Godwin S Ashiabi & Keri K O'Neal, 2007. "Children's Health Status: Examining the Associations among Income Poverty, Material Hardship, and Parental Factors," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 2(9), pages 1-9, September.
    14. Olga Kondratjeva & Stephen P. Roll & Mathieu Despard & Michal Grinstein‐Weiss, 2021. "The impact of state earned income tax credit increases on material and medical hardship," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 872-910, September.
    15. Colleen Heflin, 2016. "Family Instability and Material Hardship: Results from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 359-372, September.
    16. Afshin Zilanawala & Natasha V. Pilkauskas, 2011. "Low-Income Mothers' Material Hardship and Children's Socioemotional WellBeing," Working Papers 1288, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    17. Roderick Rose & Susan Parish & Joan Yoo, 2009. "Measuring Material Hardship among the US Population of Women with Disabilities Using Latent Class Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(3), pages 391-415, December.
    18. Ayala, Luis & Navarro, Carolina, 2007. "The dynamics of housing deprivation," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 72-97, March.
    19. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Janet Currie & Irwin Garfinkel, 2011. "The Great Recession and Material Hardship," Working Papers 1312, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..

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