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Race/Ethnicity and Beliefs about Wealth and Poverty

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  • Matthew O. Hunt

Abstract

Objective. Lay explanations for “wealth” have been neglected in research on beliefs about social stratification. This study compares the nature and determinants of beliefs about the causes of both wealth and poverty, with special focus on race/ethnic differences. Methods. Using survey data collected from Los Angeles County residents in 2000, descriptive and multivariate procedures are used to analyze “individualistic” and “structuralist” beliefs about wealth and poverty. In addition, one “fatalistic” belief, asking about the role of “God's will” in shaping wealth and poverty, is examined. Analyses test (1) whether race/ethnicity and other social and political characteristics variables shape these stratification beliefs, and (2) whether African Americans, Latinos, and whites differ in the determinants of beliefs about wealth and poverty. Results. Respondents favor individualistic over structuralist reasons for wealth, but favor structuralist over individualistic beliefs in explaining poverty. Fatalistic beliefs are least popular. On beliefs about wealth, African Americans, Latinos, and whites show similar levels of support for individualistic explanations; however, the race/ethnic minorities are both more structuralist than whites on this issue. On beliefs about poverty, the race/ethnic minorities are simultaneously more structuralist and more individualistic than are whites. Social‐class identification and self‐reported conservatism both significantly impact beliefs about wealth and poverty, and do so differently across race/ethnic lines. Conclusions. Findings support the separate treatment and examination of beliefs about wealth and poverty, and reinforce recent calls for greater attention to “nonwhites” in studies of sociopolitical attitudes.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew O. Hunt, 2004. "Race/Ethnicity and Beliefs about Wealth and Poverty," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 85(3), pages 827-853, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:85:y:2004:i:3:p:827-853
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0038-4941.2004.00247.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Jose Antonio R. Clemente & Mary Angeline A. Daganzo & Allan B. I. Bernardo & Cheila Alexis C. Pangan, 2017. "Filipino Adolescents’ Conceptions of Socioeconomic Mobility: a Consensual Qualitative Research," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 10(1), pages 117-140, March.
    2. Halik, Murnizam & Webley, Paul, 2011. "Adolescents' understanding of poverty and the poor in rural Malaysia," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 231-239, March.
    3. Gesiarz, Filip & De Neve, Jan-Emmanuel C J M & Sharot, Tali, 2019. "The motivational cost of inequality: pay gaps reduce the willingness to pursue rewards," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 103451, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Şansel Özpinar & Sacit Hadi Akdede, 2022. "Determinants of the Attribution of Poverty in Turkey: An Empirical Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(2), pages 949-967, November.
    5. Filip Gesiarz & Jan-Emmanuel De Neve & Tali Sharot, 2020. "The motivational cost of inequality: Opportunity gaps reduce the willingness to work," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(9), pages 1-18, September.
    6. Yul Davids & Amanda Gouws, 2013. "Monitoring Perceptions of the Causes of Poverty in South Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 110(3), pages 1201-1220, February.
    7. Voss, Kim & Silva, Fabiana, 2013. "So Goes the Nation? A preliminary report on how immigration is reshaping the identities of workers in California," Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper Series qt1js6r75p, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley.
    8. Victor R. Thompson & Lawrence D. Bobo, 2011. "Thinking about Crime: Race and Lay Accounts of Lawbreaking Behavior," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 634(1), pages 16-38, March.

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