An Interethnic and Place of Residence Examination of the "Culture of Poverty". Departmental Technical Report No. 75-3 / Nancy G. Kutner.

Data which taps aspects of traits said by Oscar Lewis to comprise a "culture of poverty" were examined for poor and non-poor families varying in ethnic background and residence. Before comparing the incidence of poverty culture across ethnic and residence lines, the question "Do alleged poverty culture traits become more pronounced as level of economic deprivation increases?" was studied. Derived from the sample obtained by 7 states participating in the NC-90 project, the following populations were represented: metropolitan whites; nonmetropolitan small town whites; rural farm and nonfarm whites; metropolitan blacks; village and small urban place blacks; metropolitan Spanish-speaking (primarily Mexican American and Puerto Rican); migrant labor camp Spanish-speaking (Mexican Americans); migrant labor camp Spanish-speaking (Mexican nationals); metropolitan Hawaiian Orientals; metropolitan Hawaiian "mixed ethnics"; and metropolitan Polynesians. Data, obtained through interviews with the main female homemaker, pertained to demography; family resource procurement and expenditure; social structure and activities of the family, both internally and within the community; and the homemaker's value-orientations regarding education and employment. Findings indicated that, on some indicators of some traits, sizeable differences existed among ethnic and/or residence categories. (NQ)

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.