Poor Thinking

Not a black and white matter

Children who grow up in welfare families are likely to end up on welfare themselves as adults. Correct? Not according to a University of Michigan study of 1,391 young welfare-dependent Americans during a 14-year period beginning in 1968. Says Economist Martha S. Hill, the study's primary researcher: "The results certainly make you question the stereotype."

Hill and nine other social scientists analyzed the generational effects of poverty and discovered that 57% of children from poor families, both black and white, did not remain impoverished after leaving home. Although some do end up on the welfare rolls later,...

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