Most Americans believe personal choices keep people in poverty, poll finds

The Brief

A new poll finds that most Americans think personal choices are a major factor of poverty and homelessness.

The poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals that just over half of respondents think the government spends too little on people in need.

Researchers polled 1,121 adults between Aug. 21–25, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel.

Most Americans homelessness and poverty as a rising problem

Why you should care:

Approximately 68% of people say poverty has increased in the U.S. over the past 25 years, while 19% believe it’s stayed the same and roughly 12% say it has declined.

Meanwhile, roughly 8 in 10 respondents say that homelessness has g