A majority of U.S. adults say individual choices are a major reason people remain in poverty, according to a new poll, even as a slim majority also say the government spends too little on assistance for those in need.
The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy survey found 6 in 10 Americans view personal choices as a “major factor” in persistent poverty, while just under half cite unfair systems and about four in 10 point to a lack of government support. At the same time, 54 percent said the government spends too little on programs to help people in need.
The poll comes as homelessness has become more visible in many cities and as officials across the country, including in the nation’s capital, have moved to clear encampments. About eight in 10 respondents said homelessness has increased nationally over the past 25 years, and roughly seven in 10 said it has risen in their state. Slightly more than half — 55 percent — said homelessness has increased in their own community.
Despite widespread perceptions of growing poverty, 68 percent of respondents said poverty in the country overall has increased over the past quarter-century. University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy professor Bruce Meyer, who helped craft and analyze the poll, noted a gap between perceptions and many measures of poverty. “It is the most visible form of poverty,” Meyer said, referring to unsheltered homelessness. “I think, quite reasonably, people are extrapolating from what they see in the way of people in tents and on sidewalks. But that is very different from the bulk of the low-income population.”
Federal housing officials have recorded recent increases in homelessness, with an 18 percent rise reported last year following a 12 percent increase in 2023. Authorities have pointed to a lack of affordable housing, the end of pandemic-era assistance, skyrocketing rents, devastating natural disasters and surges of migrants in some areas as driving factors.
Views about clearing encampments were mixed. About 43 percent of adults favored removing homeless encampments in U.S. cities, 25 percent opposed removal and roughly 30 percent said they had no opinion. The U.S. Supreme Court last year upheld the ability of cities to enforce bans on sleeping outdoors, a legal backdrop cited by some cities as they push to clear camps.
Responses varied markedly by party. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans called personal choices a major factor in why people remain in poverty, compared with 56 percent of independents and 49 percent of Democrats. Democrats were far more likely than Republicans or independents to say a lack of government support is a major factor in persistent poverty.
Survey respondents commonly cited substance abuse and mental health challenges as major drivers of homelessness, with about three-quarters identifying those issues. Around six in 10 pointed to personal choices and a similar share cited lack of affordable housing. Just under half — 45 percent — said lack of government support is a major factor in homelessness.
Some poll respondents described what they see in their communities. Sixty-year-old Baltimore resident Dwayne Byrd said dilapidated buildings and businesses closing contributed to local poverty and that many working people still struggle to pay basic bills. Pittsburgh resident Ashlyn White said she has seen a rise in homeless encampments since the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed concern about where unhoused people would go if camps were cleared. Others, like Fort Collins resident Rob Haas, said camp removals are necessary for the safety of people living in those conditions and for broader community well-being.
The poll also tapped attitudes about responsibility for addressing poverty and homelessness. About four in 10 said federal and state governments have “a great deal” of responsibility, compared with about one-quarter who said the same about charities or very wealthy individuals.
The results come amid broader policy debates over federal and state roles in social safety net programs. The poll’s release noted a recent GOP tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump that was expected to reduce benefits for some low-income people, and it coincides with efforts by officials in many jurisdictions to address visible homelessness through enforcement and shelter initiatives.
The AP-NORC/University of Chicago Harris poll surveyed 1,121 U.S. adults Aug. 21-25 using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.