The Measurement and Meaning of Poverty
- 1 June 1975
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Social Problems
- Vol. 22 (5) , 652-663
- https://doi.org/10.2307/799697
Abstract
There is great diversity among studies of the poor in the way poverty is measured. The present study reviews the alternative meanings of the term “poverty” implicit in the measurement procedures suggested. Drawing upon a five year panel study based on a national sample, a comparison is made among sixteen alternative measures of poverty. On the basis of this analysis we conclude that caution is required when making comparisons between studies using different measures of poverty. Of particular note is the evidence that measures which draw the poverty line high differ from those which draw it low, that measures based on low income differ from those based on SES, and that measures based on welfare status differ from those not so based.Keywords
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