MAJORITY BELIEVE THERE WILL BE MORE POOR AMERICANS FOUR YEARS FROM NOW
“Not enough food, unsafe living conditions, unable to buy medicine” is how one poor American describes life in the wealthiest of nations

WASHINGTON — Six in ten (62%) Americans feel there will be more people living in poverty four years from now. Despite signs of an economic recovery, 90 percent of Americans are concerned about poverty in the United States, according to the national “Poverty Pulse” public opinion poll sponsored by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and released January 11 at a press conference in Los Angeles. An increase in crime is the most likely outcome of greater poverty, according to 20 % of the general public, while only 4% felt that it would not have any impact on the country. Despite the fact that the subject of poverty was missing from last fall’s political debate, virtually all respondents (97%) felt it was an important issue to address.

The “Poverty Pulse” is commissioned annually by CCHD to determine public views on poverty. This year, the Catholic Health Association contributed two questions. A total of 1,004 respondents were surveyed among the general adult population to highlight attitudes and awareness of poverty in the United States. Results of the national public opinion poll conducted by the Market Research Bureau in Washington, D.C., are released by CCHD as part of Poverty in America Awareness Month, which is observed in January and has been promoted by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and other organizations since the year 2000.

This year’s survey revealed that more than half of all Americans (54%) think that it is the government’s responsibility to tend to the needs of poor people and address other issues related to poverty in the United States. Eighty-four percent (84%) of respondents indicated that they had done something to help alleviate poverty or to help someone who is poor in the past year. The most popular ways to help were to give money or donations of food, clothing or other goods to an organization helping the poor.

Access to better education for children and adults (28%) and employment opportunities (11%) are seen as the best ways to break the cycle of poverty.

Affordable health care is even more inaccessible to poor and low-income people in America. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in August 2004 that the number of uninsured Americans had increased to nearly 45 million during 2003 and that the number of workers receiving health care coverage from their employers fell to 60.4% — the lowest level in a decade. Reverend Robert J. Vitillo, executive director of CCHD, noted that, “It does not take a great leap of logic to understand that poor and low-income people are heavily represented among the uninsured in our country and the situation with poor children is especially tragic.”

In the Poverty Pulse, the general public showed strong support in favor of health coverage for all children, including those living in poverty. When asked if health care should be guaranteed to all children, 96% of respondents agreed that it should be. In a follow-up question, most people indicated that the Federal government should be responsible for ensuring that low-income people have health coverage. Nine in ten (91%) believe that it is important for the Federal government to make sure that all low-income persons have health coverage. Almost three-quarters of the population (73%) believe this is very important.

In a separate survey, CCHD polled the low-income population about their concerns and reported the following findings:

• The top five problems facing the United States today, according to the low-income population are: unemployment/low wages, health care, education, discrimination and poverty. By contrast the top five problems bothering the general public are: the economy, war, government/politics, immorality, and terrorism.
• In addition to 98% of the low-income respondents being concerned about poverty, they are also concerned about access to healthcare (95%), education (94%), exposure to crime (94%), prejudice (94%), war/terrorism (93%) and immorality (90%)
• They describe their greatest concerns in the following verbatim comments:
  
  • I worry my kids won’t be able to attend college/afford health insurance…but I also worry about money a lot, running out of food, our broken car, lack of health insurance for me and my son, an 11 year old cancer survivor.
  • Affordable housing. My family works. My husband who is retired works full-time and I work full-time. We make good money and can’t hardly afford rent let alone a house.
  • I’m concerned about healthcare, lack of jobs, transportation. I worry most about the next time my medicines run out and no doctor will see me because I have no insurance.
    
• Low-income people describe “being poor” in terms of not having things (home, job, food, money, health care), but also in emotional terms. Following are comments in their own words:
  
  • Going hungry, being sick without healthcare, overdrawing bank accounts, getting kicked out of homes for not being able to pay rent.
  • Being poor = invisibility. Constant scrambling to pay bills, buy groceries (especially in the summer when my kids are at home and not able to access free lunch programs). Less opportunities for my kids.
  • Not enough food, unsafe living conditions, unable to buy medicine.
  • It means that each and every day is a struggle. It means you have no voice. It means you’re treated differently and unfairly.
  • No food. No shelter. No hope

According to the latest census figure, 35.9 million Americans now live below the poverty threshold, a 1.3 million increase over last year’s number. This is the fifth year that CCHD has sponsored the annual Poverty Pulse. To receive a full copy of the Poverty Pulse Report and/or the Low-Income Survey Report, visit www.povertyusa.org or contact: Mary Yerrick, 301-320-6888, (myerrick@aol.com) or Barbara Stephenson, 202-541-3364, (bstephenson@usccb.org).

About the Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Established by the Catholic Bishops of the United States, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is one of the largest private funders of self-help programs initiated and led by poor people in the U.S. Committed to the permanent elimination of poverty and injustice in America, CCHD has offered $270 million in support to more than 4,000 programs nationwide that know no racial or religious boundaries — projects that help create jobs, improve neighborhoods and allow people to find a way out of poverty, not just for a day but for a lifetime. For more information about Poverty in America Awareness Month, please visit www.povertyusa.org or the contacts listed below.

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Contact:
Mary Yerrick
301-320-6888
myerrick@aol.com

Barbara Stephenson
202-541-3364
bstephenson@usccb.org