Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Examining College Students’ Attitudes Toward Poverty During The Adult Role Of The Community Action Poverty Simulation, Jessica M. Parks, Portia Johnson, Diann C. Moorman, Sheri Worthy, Leigh Anne Aaron

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) and Extension professionals need to understand the lived experience of poverty because it affects every aspect of an individual’s life. Poverty is related to inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, lack of access to health care, insufficient child care, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of affordable housing, under-resourced schools, and a lower quality of life. Attitudes toward poverty vary widely among Americans and can be categorized as either internal/individual attributions (e.g., laziness, welfare dependency, etc.) or systemic/structural attributions (e.g., unemployment, inflation, etc.). Individuals holding internal attributions toward poverty are more likely to have negative feelings toward impoverished individuals. …