Abstract
This study explored how people perceive the causes of poverty. Literature revealed that there are three broad theoretical
explanations of perceptions of the causes of poverty, namely individualistic explanations, where blame is placed squarely
on the poor themselves; structural explanations, where poverty is blamed on external social and economic forces; and fatalistic
explanations, which attribute poverty to factors such as bad luck or illness. To examine South Africans perceptions according
to these dimensions secondary analysis was employed on one of the Human Sciences Research Council’s (HSRC) national representative
client surveys. Approximately 3,498 respondents across South Africa were surveyed between 18 April and 30 May 2006. The bivariate
analysis revealed that South Africans in general attribute poverty to structural over individualistic and fatalistic dimensions
of poverty. Ordinary least square regressions revealed that these perceptions of poverty interacted with a host of socio-demographic
and economic variables such as race and peoples’ lived experiences of poverty. In this regard, all three ordinary least square
regressions showed that lived poverty had a significant impact in predicting respectively structural, individualistic and
fatalistic perceptions of the causes of poverty. The second regression predicted individualistic perceptions and showed that
being white was the most significant predictor. The third regression predicted fatalistic perceptions and established that
being coloured was the most significant predictor.
explanations of perceptions of the causes of poverty, namely individualistic explanations, where blame is placed squarely
on the poor themselves; structural explanations, where poverty is blamed on external social and economic forces; and fatalistic
explanations, which attribute poverty to factors such as bad luck or illness. To examine South Africans perceptions according
to these dimensions secondary analysis was employed on one of the Human Sciences Research Council’s (HSRC) national representative
client surveys. Approximately 3,498 respondents across South Africa were surveyed between 18 April and 30 May 2006. The bivariate
analysis revealed that South Africans in general attribute poverty to structural over individualistic and fatalistic dimensions
of poverty. Ordinary least square regressions revealed that these perceptions of poverty interacted with a host of socio-demographic
and economic variables such as race and peoples’ lived experiences of poverty. In this regard, all three ordinary least square
regressions showed that lived poverty had a significant impact in predicting respectively structural, individualistic and
fatalistic perceptions of the causes of poverty. The second regression predicted individualistic perceptions and showed that
being white was the most significant predictor. The third regression predicted fatalistic perceptions and established that
being coloured was the most significant predictor.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-20
- DOI 10.1007/s11205-011-9980-9
- Authors
- Yul Derek Davids, Population Health, Health Systems and Innovation (PHHSI), Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), 12th Floor, Plein Park Building, 69-83 Plein Street, Cape Town, South Africa
- Amanda Gouws, Political Science Department, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag x1, Matieland, 7602 South Africa
- Journal Social Indicators Research
- Online ISSN 1573-0921
- Print ISSN 0303-8300