Air Conditioning, Cable TV, and an Xbox: What is Poverty in the United States Today?

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Each year for the past two decades, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported that over 30 million Americans were living in “poverty.” In recent years, the Census has reported that one in seven Americans are poor. But what does it mean to be “poor” in America?

To the average American, the word “poverty” implies significant material deprivation, an inability to provide a family with adequate nutritious food, reasonable shelter, and clothing. Activists reinforce this view, declaring that being poor in U.S. means being “unable to obtain the basic material necessities of life.” The news media amplify this idea: Most news stories on poverty feature homeless families, people living in crumbling shacks, or lines of the downtrodden eating in soup kitchens.

The actual living conditions of America’s poor are far different from these images. According to the government’s own survey data, in 2005, the average household defined as poor by the government lived in a house or apartment equipped with air conditioning and cable TV. The family had a car (a third of the poor have two or more cars). For entertainment, the household had two color televisions, a DVD player, and a VCR. If there were children in the home (especially boys), the family had a game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation. In the kitchen, the household had a microwave, refrigerator, and an oven and stove. Other household conveniences included a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker.

The home of the average poor family was in good repair and not overcrowded. In fact, the typical poor American had more living space than the average European. (Note: that’s average European, not poor European.) The poor family was able to obtain medical care when needed. When asked, most poor families stated they had had sufficient funds during the past year to meet all essential needs.

By its own report, the family was not hungry. The average intake of protein, vitamins, and minerals by poor children is indistinguishable from children in the upper middle class, and, in most cases, is well above recommended norms. Poor boys today at ages 18 and 19 are actually taller and heavier than middle-class boys of similar age in the late 1950s, and are a full one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than American soldiers who fought in World War II. The major dietary problem facing poor Americans is eating too much, not too little; the majority of poor adults, like most Americans, are overweight.

The living standards of the poor have improved steadily for many decades. In particular, as the prices of new consumer items fall, these conveniences become available throughout society, including poor households. Consumer items that were luxuries or significant purchases for the middle class a few decades ago have become commonplace among the poor. As a rule of thumb, poor households tend to obtain the latest conveniences about a dozen years after the middle class.

True, the average poor family, described above, does not represent every poor family. There is a range of living conditions among the poor. Some poor households fare better than the average household described above. Others are worse off.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2011/07/Executive-Summary-Air-Conditioning-Cable-TV-and-Xbox-What-Is-Poverty-in-United-States-Today

[dalegg 143]

I'll tell you one thing for certain- being poor in the U.S is a lot different than being poor in Vietnam.

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I'll tell you one thing for certain- being poor in the U.S is a lot different than being poor in Vietnam.

I believe it. I've seen poverty up close in India too and the 'poor' here have it real good.

[patient2010 93]

I believe it. I've seen poverty up close in India too and the 'poor' here have it real good.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Next you'll tell me that the poor in America sleep in beds and have sheets. That's a shame.

[웃 910]

You can get a house around here for $3,000 cash if you really want...About the same price as a 10 year old car with 150,000 miles

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/reo/2501786809.html

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You can get a house around here for $3,000 cash if you really want..

With that being true, how do the poverty pimps keep a straight face about affordable housing?

[rika60607 215]

Thanks for making me feel like a failure.

I always made more money than poverty line, yet I never had XBOX or Playstation, nor did I have cable TV (could not afford it). I had no house (rented a room/shared apartment with roommates). My bedroom was probably about 50 sf. I did have air conditioning, but I got an old window unit at a garage sale for $30, and due to the size of my bedroom it did not take much electricity to cool it.

I did have a car (about 10 years old).

I thought I was living well considering my above poverty, but limited income. Apparently I was not.

With that being true, how do the poverty pimps keep a straight face about affordable housing?

[Ironman140 45]

Next you'll tell me that the poor in America sleep in beds and have sheets. That's a shame.

Yea but it's only Queen size

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Yea but it's only Queen size

That's tough.

[Danno 1,228]

Subscribing to cable-TV while one is poor...... is a symptom of "why" they are they are in poverty.

[SuperDuper! 230]

Next you'll tell me that the poor in America sleep in beds and have sheets. That's a shame.

Good one. And they eat with forks and spoons like everyone else, too.

Get this. America is a wealthy country. And when "poor" people get to have HD TV's/ Cable/ PlayStation/Internet/Laptop/BlueRay....they get to save money and stay home.

They DONT go where you and I go for dinner, vacation, shopping.

What a country. Even the "poor" are blessed!

[Susita 175]

Subscribing to cable-TV while one is poor...... is a symptom of "why" they are they are in poverty.

Wow and I canceled cable because they were ripping us off. 200 bucks a month for total ####### TV... and (white whine warning) they took away Food Network and THEN Fox, and I missed Glee that week.

I'm poorer than the poor now.

[catknit 144]

Hmmmm. I moved from a relatively wealthy area [Central NJ] to crazy poor. Now I am conflicted about a lot of things here [rural va]. I know for a fact that the working poor here [and there are a lot] actually don't own these things because they are "renting to own" them [granted a lot of people could argue that using a credit card instead of rent-a-center is pretty much the same thing].

Also - depending on how plugged into the "system" the working poor are, this IS the stuff they spend their paychecks on. Given many have section 8, foodstamps, medicaid, subsidies from utilities, general charity [food pantry, school supply drives at the beginning of the school year that get the families off the hook for buying notebooks/pencils/rulers] the pay check that they are earning is "spending money".

Plus the earned income tax credit also becomes the method of out and out purchasing stuff for those who think through the mark up on rent-to-own. Local retailers wait for January-Feb to roll around...all that money burning holes in peoples' pockets!

What truly grates on my nerves is that a lot of the working poor play the game to be just that. Too many hours and YTD earnings getting a little high - no problem, get a doctor's note! Or, become the "caretaker" of an elderly relative to get FMLA. This way you can still earn your spending money, still qualify for the subsidies, and take the time off without losing the job.

I've seen true poverty [india] and this is definitely cushy poor - but many living it here have no clue how bad it truly can be.

[dalegg 143]

Wait, I just noticed. We're letting poor people have Air Conditioning??