April 4-15, 2012: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press Values Survey—Nationwide poll on perceptions of poor people in America.
(In the last ten years, do you think the values held by middle class people and the values held by poor people have become more similar or more different?)
47% More similar
41% More different
3% No change
8% Don۪t Know/ Refused
Survey by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Methodology: Conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, April 4 – April 15, 2012 and based on 3,008 telephone interviews. Sample: National adult. 1805 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1203 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 603 who had no landline telephone. [USPSRA.060412.R13FB]
(In your opinion, which is generally more often to blame if a person is poor? Lack of effort on his or her own part, or circumstances beyond his or her control?)
38% Lack of effort
46% Circumstances beyond control
11% Both
5% Don۪t Know/ Refused
Survey by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Methodology: Conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, April 4 – April 15, 2012 and based on 3,008 telephone interviews. Sample: National adult. 1805 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1203 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 603 who had no landline telephone. [USPSRA.060412.R46FB]
(In general, do you think poor people have higher, lower, or about the same moral values as other Americans?)
12% Higher
14% Lower
67% Same
6% Don۪t Know/ Refused
Survey by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Methodology: Conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, April 4 – April 15, 2012 and based on 3,008 telephone interviews. Sample: National adult. 1805 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1203 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 603 who had no landline telephone. [USPSRA.060412.R10FA]
(Compared to ten years ago, do you think there is a wider gap or a narrower gap between the standards of living of middle class people and poor people?)
61% Wider
28% Narrower
5% No change
6% Don۪t know/ Refused
Survey by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Methodology: Conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, April 4 – April 15, 2012 and based on 3,008 telephone interviews. Sample: National adult. 1805 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1203 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 603 who had no landline telephone. [USPSRA.060412.R12FB]
(Do you think that most poor people in the United States are people who work but can’t earn enough money, or people who don’t work?)
65% Work
23% Don۪t Work
12% Don۪t know/ Refused
Survey by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Methodology: Conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, April 4 – April 15, 2012 and based on 3,008 telephone interviews. Sample: National adult. 1805 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1203 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 603 who had no landline telephone. [USPSRA.060412.R09FA]
Formal Citation
Pew Research Center for the People , Apr, 2012. Retrieved Jun-28-2012 from the iPOLL Databank, The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut. http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/data_access/ipoll/ipoll.html