Most US adults think individual choices keep people in poverty, new AP-NORC/Harris poll finds

WASHINGTON AP Majority U S adults think personal choices are a major driver of poverty and homelessness according to a new poll while fewer blame a lack of authorities patronage However just over half also think the governing body spends too little on those in need the new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Residents Program and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Community Affairs Research shows The poll comes as homelessness is on the rise and as functionaries across the country including Republican President Donald Trump in the nation s capital push to clear encampments where unhoused people live At the same time the GOP tax and spending cut bill signed into law by Trump in July is expected to reduce benefits for low-income people It seems like people are a little conflicted declared Bruce Meyer a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School who helped craft and analyze the poll I think people allegedly realize in part at least the complexity of what leads people to get in trouble in terms of their economic circumstances And I think a lot of people are generous at heart and will help people out and think the executive should as well even when individuals aren t blameless The greater part see homelessness and poverty as a rising matter The greater part U S adults say poverty has increased in the country as a whole over the past years while say it s stayed the same and about say it has decreased People living in urban areas such as -year-old Baltimore resident Dwayne Byrd are more likely to say poverty has increased in their local region compared with people in suburban or rural areas It s dilapidated buildings dirty streets businesses closing up left and right Byrd noted of the poverty in his city You got to choose between keeping the lights on and putting something in your belly People with jobs don t have enough money Yet the rate of people living under the poverty line has veritably decreased by almost every measure over the past years according to Meyer the University of Chicago professor The discrepancy between the poverty evidence and Americans perceptions may stem from the fact that unsheltered homelessness has increased It is the the greater part visible form of poverty Meyer noted I think quite reasonably people are extrapolating from what they see in the way of people in tents and on sidewalks But that is very different from the bulk of the low-income population About in Americans say that homelessness has increased in the United States over the last years and roughly in say it s increased in their state Slightly more than half say it s increased in their own public According to federal personnel homelessness increased last year driven largely by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of newcomers in several parts of the country That rise came on top of a increase in which federal housing representatives blamed on soaring rents and the end of coronavirus pandemic assistance I ve never seen as countless homeless camps declared Pittsburgh resident Ashlyn White a -year-old Democrat After COVID is when they really start popping up More encouragement than opposition for removing homeless encampments More Americans favor than oppose removing homeless encampments in U S cities the poll identified About U S adults favor their removal while about oppose it Roughly in Americans don t have an opinion saying they neither favor nor oppose removing the encampments The U S Supreme Court ruled last year that cities can enforce bans on people sleeping outside in constituents places Bulk Republicans favor removing homeless encampments while independents and Democrats are divided with a substantial share saying they don t have an opinion There does need to be several sort of rules announced Ami Tate a -year-old resident of Hesperia California who leans conservative adding that the establishment also requirements to help out White the Pittsburgh resident commented she opposed removing encampments Where are these people supposed to go she commented noting that shelters are often full Meanwhile in Fort Collins Colorado -year-old Rob Haas who describes himself as a moderate who leans Democrat strongly favors encampment removals I just think it s bad for the homeless to be in that type of circumstances and I think it s bad for us to tolerate that he declared Divisions over root causes About in Americans say personal choices are a major factor in why people remain in poverty while just under half say unfair systems are a major factor and about in blame lack of governing body help Most of Republicans say personal choices are a major factor in why people remain in poverty compared with of independents and of Democrats Adam Kutzer a -year-old living in Cranford New Jersey announced not paying off credit card debt or spending too much money were examples of poor financial choices that can clearly be avoided Democrats meanwhile are much likelier than Republicans or independents to say lack of authorities promotion is a major factor When it comes to homelessness majority Americans are likely to see substance abuse and mental wellness issues as key drivers with about three-quarters citing them as a major factor Still about in adults say that personal choices are responsible with a similar share blaming a lack of affordable housing Just under half of U S adults believe a lack of ruling body sponsorship is a major factor in why people are homeless Who s responsible for addressing the issues A majority of Americans believe that the authorities is spending too little on assistance for those in need That includes Tate the Hesperia resident who reported more money should go toward school programs and helping children in low-income communities Americans are also more likely to think federal and state governments have a major role to play in tackling homelessness and poverty compared with charities or very wealthy individuals About in U S adults say federal and state cabinet have a great deal of responsibility for addressing poverty and homelessness compared with about one-quarter who say this about charities or very wealthy people In Tate s view state and local governments should be figuring out an action plan of how to get people off the streets Rush broadcasted from Portland Oregon The AP-NORC poll of U S adults was conducted Aug - using a sample drawn from NORC s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel which is designed to be representative of the U S population The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus percentage points Source