Saturday, May 13, 2006
Poor Kids Have it Worse Than Rich Ones: Canadian Study
Statistics Canada just released a report that pointed out what may seem obvious: kids from families with higher-incomes do better in many ways than kids from poorer families. “Higher income tends to be related to better physical, social/emotional, cognitive and behavioural well-being among children.”
Seems obvious to me that this is true. But it isn’t one of those things anyone likes to admit, because it implies that income inequalities have bad effects on families with less money. While correlation doesn’t always prove cause-and-effect, in this case there’s a strong argument that children are handicapped by poverty.
I haven’t seen such a blatant statement in this country, lately. Which is because America is “the land of opportunity,” and nobody in power really wants to do anything to rock the boat. But child poverty is growing as the income distribution goes more and more to the top 10% of Americans and the middle-class isn’t so much climbing upward as it is sliding downward. Poor children, like poor adults, have it worse. But the poor continue to get the blame for their poverty, instead of the government reaching toward any sort of redistributive justice.
C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y :
Children's well-being tied to household income: StatsCan
Last Updated Fri, 12 May 2006 00:29:13 EDT
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/05/11/income-children.html?print
The well-being of Canadian children is almost always linked to their family's household income, suggests a Statistics Canada report.
The federal agency examined the links between physical, social, emotional, cognitive and behavioural well-being in children aged four to 15 and household income.
The study found "higher income tends to be related to better physical, social/emotional, cognitive and behavioural well-being among children."
Increases in household income continue to remain associated with better well-being, even when children are no longer considered low income, suggested the study.
"In fact, the results did not find a point at which high household income stops being associated with better child well-being."
The report used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth for 1994 to 1998.
Copyright ©2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved
Seems obvious to me that this is true. But it isn’t one of those things anyone likes to admit, because it implies that income inequalities have bad effects on families with less money. While correlation doesn’t always prove cause-and-effect, in this case there’s a strong argument that children are handicapped by poverty.
I haven’t seen such a blatant statement in this country, lately. Which is because America is “the land of opportunity,” and nobody in power really wants to do anything to rock the boat. But child poverty is growing as the income distribution goes more and more to the top 10% of Americans and the middle-class isn’t so much climbing upward as it is sliding downward. Poor children, like poor adults, have it worse. But the poor continue to get the blame for their poverty, instead of the government reaching toward any sort of redistributive justice.
C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y :
Children's well-being tied to household income: StatsCan
Last Updated Fri, 12 May 2006 00:29:13 EDT
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/05/11/income-children.html?print
The well-being of Canadian children is almost always linked to their family's household income, suggests a Statistics Canada report.
The federal agency examined the links between physical, social, emotional, cognitive and behavioural well-being in children aged four to 15 and household income.
The study found "higher income tends to be related to better physical, social/emotional, cognitive and behavioural well-being among children."
Increases in household income continue to remain associated with better well-being, even when children are no longer considered low income, suggested the study.
"In fact, the results did not find a point at which high household income stops being associated with better child well-being."
The report used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth for 1994 to 1998.
Copyright ©2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved
