The belief that poverty and homelessness are about "individual choices" didn't arise on its own. It was manufactured through decades of messaging ...

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Brian Goldstone (@brian-goldstone.bsky.social)

The belief that poverty and homelessness are about "individual choices" didn't arise on its own. It was manufactured through decades of messaging designed to protect the policies and interests that create mass precarity. As this new poll shows, that propaganda campaign has been wildly...

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1/53
brian-goldstone.bsky.social
The belief that poverty and homelessness are about "individual choices" didn't arise on its own. It was manufactured through decades of messaging designed to protect the policies and interests that create mass precarity.

As this new poll shows, that propaganda campaign has been wildly successful.

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

2/53
brian-goldstone.bsky.social
The belief that poverty and homelessness are about "individual choices" didn't arise on its own. It was manufactured through decades of messaging designed to protect the policies and interests that create mass precarity.

As this new poll shows, that propaganda campaign has been wildly successful.

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

3/53
brian-goldstone.bsky.social
And yes, this ideology is centuries old, rooted in traditions that predate the U.S. and produced the pernicious "deserving/undeserving poor" divide. My point is that in recent decades it's been amplified through a distinctly American discursive project to legitimate prevailing policies and systems.

4/53
jpwwrites.bsky.social
Rising senior population with 54% on fixed incomes below housing affordability thresholds = California

5/53
cemhend.bsky.social
I’m really wondering if aging boomers will do anything to change this mindset about poverty. Aging widows are peak “deserving poor” and we’re going to have many, many of them.

6/53
jpwwrites.bsky.social
The survey finds 54% think the government is spending too little to help those in need compared with just 22% who think it is spending the right amount and 22% who say it is spending too much.

7/53
jpwwrites.bsky.social
Most Democrats (81%) and independents (61%) think government spending is too low, compared with 28% of Republicans. (AP-NORC)

8/53
manigarm.bsky.social
The Protestant Work Ethnic tells you that Work = Virtue. Without "work" you are a burden, valueless (despite the fact that your poverty is systemic).

Then, Prosperity Gospel came along and said that Wealth = God's favor.

So, if you're sick or homeless it's because you didn't believe hard enough.

9/53
cynthia-vt.bsky.social
And I guess the people who believe "that Wealth = God's favor" never read the book of Job.

10/53
susankayequinn.bsky.social
Understanding that it's cheaper to house the unhoused than to jail them radicalized me on this subject.

It took me longer to see: we *keep* the unhoused visible & abused (in the US) because it's an warning to the rest of us of what happens when you fall off the bottom rung of capitalism.

11/53
toths.info
If we don't jail them then they can't be our slaves, just like the 13th amendment allows us to. www.law.cornell.edu/constitution...

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susankayequinn.bsky.social
I don't think the unhoused are generally used as slave labor (like a whole lotta other folks in the for-profit prison industry), but I could be wrong about that.

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toths.info
They can be once they are incarcerated, which is kinda the point of making being homeless a crime in many places. That and someone is making a lot of money due to our prisons being privately owned.

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susankayequinn.bsky.social
"can be" and "are in practice" are two separate things and that was what I was wondering.

I think making being homeless a crime is driven more by folks who don't want to be bothered with the reminder of what happens when you fall off the bottom rung. And the profit-making. And pols looking"tough"

15/53
resistasista76.bsky.social
Same vibe as folks who come from wealth thinking they earned where they are.

16/53
molipley.bsky.social
I read an article about how the wealthy elites and their offspring are constantly trying to make it easier to transfer said wealth, by influencing policy and law. It’s their only goal in life. Their only goal.

17/53
resistasista76.bsky.social
Those who work for our wages should make it our life’s goal to stop the transfer of wealth like this. It should go back into the pot once they hit 10million. We should also limit 1 home per person until we solve homelessness and a housing “shortage”. Require owner occupancy!! #mybattles
Bluesky

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susankayequinn.bsky.social
It's also a psyche hack that works even better the more uncertainty and economic precarity there is:

people are desperate to think it can't happen to them, that their "good choices" will protect them

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snagzsongs.bsky.social
Yep, as someone who was homeless, and frankly is at risk of it again

It's not a choice

I make plenty in retirement - it's utterly crushing rent and basic living costs that are the problem.

Lack of affordable inventory, and rich (white) people stopping any new buildings as much as possible.

20/53
awatso138.bsky.social
And to your point the housing that is created is very expensive and seems to be geared towards the wealthier class. It is not for regular families that's for sure

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billnemacheck.bsky.social
I wrote my sociology thesis on homelessness, and the one thing I recall, is that my professor said I didn't give this quote the focus it deserved.

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brooklyn909.bsky.social
He made stupidity, callousness and unwillingness to morally evolve the national religion of America.

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stuffabouthockey.bsky.social
They demonize & criminalize the homeless then wonder why homeless people "choose" not to get a job.

Who is hiring people with crimminal records, no permanent address being stereotyped that theyre somehow all lazy drug users?

You cant demonize people then get mad they cant find work.

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radianthostility.bsky.social
It originated, for practical purposes, with the Calvinists about 500 years ago. It didn't arise on its own. It's America's religion and has been for the entire existence of the USA. Not in some abstract way. This is the core of American religious beliefs and practice, both the acknowledged religion

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radianthostility.bsky.social
Beliefs and the unacknowledged ones like the American Civic Religion.

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miss-smirker.bsky.social
I remember years ago there was a This American Life segment about two guys who decided to be homeless to see what it was like and they were shocked by how hard it was to get back into housing/jobs/etc.

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azevedoaudio.bsky.social
"The rate of people living under the poverty line has decreased" seems like the definition of poverty has not kept up with inflation.

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fmarouetfan.bsky.social
It’s so frustrating that people do not understand how poverty perpetuates itself *because* daily choices are literally limited to surviving or not.

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jonbailiff.bsky.social
The myth of individual culpability in a system rigged to exploit labor by isolating workers from collective action against the owners…as American as apple pie.

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starrceline.bsky.social
For real, I was talking to a friend about this yesterday. She thinks terrorizing homeless people is a good solution. But most people don’t choose to be homeless, why would they? They need housing, not threats. it’s the only sustainable solution is to give housing or raise their income

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abrxs.bsky.social
Back during the early 1900's they had the same belief - that poverty and homelessness was about "individual choices."

Then the Great Depression hit. And suddenly large swathes of the population were destitute and homeless due to no fault of their own.

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vincedaily.bsky.social
One important antidote: invisiblepeople.tv

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radulik.bsky.social
People who are well off have no idea how expensive it is to be poor. It’s a “do we eat or have a roof over our head”. And then the additional late fees when you can’t pay your electric bill on time. The parking ticket you can’t pay, that increases for every week you let it go. So you can eat.

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radulik.bsky.social
Never mind what happens when you’re sick, have an accident, or your kids do.

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ambersays.bsky.social
I need people to stop being stupid. No one wants to live in the elements, without facilities and proper food and medicine storage. Housing is a human right- and high-quality safe, free, well-designed housing should be the point of America. For ALL. Not profits and punishments. Imagine!

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angaeilgeoir.bsky.social
Isn't the absolutely repugnant idea that poverty is a moral failing centuries old?

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occamsrustyspoon.bsky.social
Oh hey, why am I not following you. I’m currently reading your book.

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brian-goldstone.bsky.social
!!

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martijon.bsky.social
There are people that believe free will is an illusion. Sapolsky, et al. Irrespective of that larger issue, any one who has lived a while in this country knows that the so called “hard work = success myth” is just that, a myth. Many of the hardest working people are stuck on a hamster wheel of debt.

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jcools.bsky.social
Many of the cruel fascist policies we are seeing now have roots in the right wing faux-information network spawned decades ago. Demonization of the poor and immigrants, denigration of government services and higher education, and the worship of money over societal values.

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otisredfoot.bsky.social
I would say the economy taking a shyt every 8 years because of gamblers on Wall Street might have something to do with it. In my lifetime I've seen the Tech Bubble, Financial/Housing Bubble, Covid-19 and now Tariffs along with the looming AI Bubble. Don't worry, oligarchs will be fine.

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arbiteriapetus.bsky.social
Prosperity Gospel

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosper...
Prosperity theology - Wikipedia

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littlegreyrab.bsky.social
This reminds me of the coloniser Europeans in many places in Africa who deprived the existing populations of access to water and then complained they were unwashed.

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vanlighet.bsky.social
Racism and bigotry disguised as rugged individualism. Disgusting.

(Thank you for using the term “homelessness” and not “unhoused” because words matter and we need that nonsense to stop. It adds no value and alienates people)

45/53
petiteviolette.bsky.social
People are susceptible to this because the idea that one could also fall into bad luck in that way is so psychologically painful that we will do almost anything to live in denial instead. If only we had the strength to put our efforts toward making it so this happens to no one.

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soraya22.bsky.social
One of the most soul crushing things ive read in a while and boy is thay saying something these days

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giackal.bsky.social
40% of youth suffering homelessness are LGBTQIA+ identifying. People can't be bothered as to knowing why this happens and it has a lot to do with hate.

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skuzy1572.bsky.social
The majority is white people in middle class America. They benefit off their false ignorance. They believe their own lie about this so they can feel secure that they won’t fall on those hard times cause they are so much better at making choices.

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call-me-ishmael.bsky.social
Being poor has nothing to do with working hard. Being RICH has everything to do profiteering off the work of the poor.

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juliamarblefaun.bsky.social
That just makes me so sad and angry

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skyatt.bsky.social
I have an 800 credit score and am still poor. Even when you make the right decisions there's simply too much money going to those already rich for the rest of us to get by

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projectpixel.net
The American idea that poverty is a matter of choice is partly historically rooted in Calvinist and wider Protestant ideologies, which emphasise personal responsibility, moral worth tied to work, and success as evidence of virtue.

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projectpixel.net
This has carried into modern political and social attitudes, even with secular Americans.

To post tweets in this format, more info here: https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196

 

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

In this photo illuminated by an off-camera flash, a woman walks past a homeless person’s tent with a chair in downtown Los Angeles, Feb. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

By CLAIRE RUSH and LINLEY SANDERS

Updated 10:58 AM EDT, September 9, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most 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 government support.

However, just over half also think the government spends too little on those in need, the new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows.

The poll comes as homelessness is on the rise and as officials 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,” said Bruce Meyer, a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School who helped craft and analyze the poll. “I think people probably 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 government should as well, even when individuals aren’t blameless.”

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Most see homelessness and poverty as a rising problem​

Most U.S. adults — 68% — say poverty has increased in the country as a whole over the past 25 years, while 19% say it’s stayed the same and about 12% say it has decreased.

People living in urban areas, such as 60-year-old Baltimore resident Dwayne Byrd, are more likely to say poverty has increased in their local community, compared with people in suburban or rural areas.

“It’s dilapidated buildings, dirty streets, businesses closing up left and right,” Byrd said 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 actually decreased “by almost every measure” over the past 25 years, according to Meyer, the University of Chicago professor.

The discrepancy between the poverty data and Americans’ perceptions may stem from the fact that unsheltered homelessness has increased.

“It is the most visible form of poverty,” Meyer said. “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 8 in 10 Americans say that homelessness has increased in the United States over the last 25 years, and roughly 7 in 10 say it’s increased in their state. Slightly more than half — 55% — say it’s increased in their own community.

According to federal officials, homelessness increased 18% last year, driven largely by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country.

That rise came on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which federal housing officials blamed on soaring rents and the end of coronavirus pandemic assistance.

“I’ve never seen as many homeless camps,” said Pittsburgh resident Ashlyn White, a 38-year-old Democrat. “After COVID is when they really start popping up.”

More support than opposition for removing homeless encampments​

More Americans favor than oppose removing homeless encampments in U.S. cities, the poll found. About 43% U.S. adults favor their removal, while about 25% oppose it. Roughly 3 in 10 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 public places.

Most Republicans, 64%, 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 some sort of rules,” said Ami Tate, a 43-year-old resident of Hesperia, California, who leans conservative, adding that “the government also needs to help out.”

White, the Pittsburgh resident, said she opposed removing encampments.

“Where are these people supposed to go?” she said, noting that shelters are often full.

Meanwhile, in Fort Collins, Colorado, 61-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 environment, and I think it’s bad for us to tolerate that,” he said.

Divisions over root causes​

About 6 in 10 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 4 in 10 blame lack of government support.

Most Republicans, 77%, say personal choices are a “major factor” in why people remain in poverty, compared with 56% of independents and 49% of Democrats.

Adam Kutzer, a 22-year-old living in Cranford, New Jersey, said 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 government support is a “major factor.”

When it comes to homelessness, most Americans are likely to see substance abuse and mental health issues as key drivers, with about three-quarters citing them as a “major factor.” Still, about 6 in 10 adults say that personal choices are responsible, with a similar share blaming a lack of affordable housing.

Just under half of U.S. adults — 45% — believe a lack of government support is a major factor in why people are homeless.

Who’s responsible for addressing the issues?​

A majority of Americans — 54% — believe that the government is spending “too little” on assistance for those in need. That includes Tate, the Hesperia resident, who said 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 4 in 10 U.S. adults say federal and state government 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.”

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Rush reported from Portland, Ore.

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The AP-NORC poll of 1,121 U.S. adults was conducted Aug. 21-25, 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 4.0 percentage points.