Addressing the sources of poverty and shaping a path out for poor Americans has been a priority for policymakers for decades. When it comes to the origins of poverty, however, American voters demonstrate a plurality of views.

Recent polling demonstrates that American voters believe low wages to be the largest causes of poverty in the United States(39%). This is followed by lack of education/training (31%) and lack of work ethic/motivation (27%).

However, when broken down by party identification, perception of the main driver of poverty changes. 50% of Democrats believe low wages to be the top cause; this perception also leads for registered Independents at 38% of respondents. For Republicans, 39% believe lack of work ethic/motivation to be the basis of poverty.

A strong majority of voters (61%) prefer that state government poverty relief programs focus on root causes such as addiction treatment, job training programs, and increased opportunities for work.

Voters also widely believe that Washington’s efforts to mitigate the effects of poverty are not as effective as the work of private charities.

Key Messaging Takeaway for State Think Tanks:

While poverty remains a perennial issue, a majority of voters believe that Washington’s attempts to alleviate it are ineffective. Voters prefer pragmatic state policies that focus on social issues such as addiction and those programs which provide workers with marketable job skills.