Live data from Hacker News

Why do the poor make poor decisions?

medium.com

1–10 of 68 posts

Re: Why do the poor make poor decisions?

#3

Or, asked another way, "Why are people who make poor decisions poor?"

But there are vicious cycles involved where the mental effort of surviving day to day is too high to leave mental energy to think further ahead and make better decisions. There have been multiple studies about this - if I could remember where I'd read about them, I'd link to them.

Re: Why do the poor make poor decisions?

#4

Or, asked another way, "Why are people who make poor decisions poor?"

If you read the article, it is about someone's attempt to tease apart which is the cause and which is the effect.

In other words, the article is about debunking exactly this restatement.

Re: Why do the poor make poor decisions?

#5
TL;DR

Duke researcher Jane Costello tries to answer the question: do poor people make poor decisions, or is it that poor decisions lead to poor people. In order to answer this question, she looks at the extra money that a casino brought in to a poor native tribe.

She concludes that it was poverty that was leading to the "poor decisions":

"Ten years after the casino’s arrival, Costello’s findings showed that the younger the age at which children escaped poverty, the better their teenage mental health. Among her youngest age cohort, Costello observed a “dramatic decrease” in criminal conduct. In fact, the Cherokee children in her study were now better behaved than the control group."

Importantly, the parents didn't work less. They worked just as hard but the labor was redirected towards parenting.

Re: Why do the poor make poor decisions?

#6

TL;DR Duke researcher Jane Costello tries to answer the question: do poor people make poor decisions, or is it that poor decisions lead to poor people. In order to answer this question, she looks at the extra money that a casino brought in to a poor native tribe. She concludes that it was poverty that was leading to the "poor decisions": "Ten years after the casino’s arrival, Costello’s findings showed that the young…

The second part of the article is pretty interesting too. Apparently giving poor people money would save money in the long run.

Re: Why do the poor make poor decisions?

#7
post #6

TL;DR Duke researcher Jane Costello tries to answer the question: do poor people make poor decisions, or is it that poor decisions lead to poor people. In order to answer this question, she looks at the extra money that a casino brought in to a poor native tribe. She concludes that it was poverty that was leading to the "poor decisions": "Ten years after the casino’s arrival, Costello’s findings showed that the young…

The second part of the article is pretty interesting too. Apparently giving poor people money would save money in the long run.

"Granted, it would take a big program to eradicate poverty in the U.S. According to economist Matt Bruenig’s calculations, it would cost $175 billion. But poverty is even more expensive. A 2013 study estimated the costs of child poverty at as much as $500 billion a year. Kids who grow up poor end up with two years’ less education, work 450 fewer hours per year, and run three times the risk of bad health than those raised in families that are well off."

Re: Why do the poor make poor decisions?

#10
Being poor is hard. There is no flexibility to be nimble around hardships or mistakes.

Its easy to make money if you have money. But try to start a business with no backup funds.or credit line? The first time your vehicle breaks down can put your business in a death cycle.

Post reply on HN