POVERTY AMONG PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN THE UNITED STATES: INCIDENCE, CHANGE, AND CORRELATES

Authors

Dennis A. Ahlburg, University of Minnesota and University of SouthamptonFollow

Abstract

Although poverty in the United States increased over the 1980s, it decreased for Pacific Islanders. But the incidence and severity of Pacific Islander poverty remained greater than that of other Americans. Poverty among Pacific Islanders declined because their attachment to the labor market increased, as did average education and work experience. The article shows that remittances may increase the poverty of some sending households and plunge other households into poverty. Also, the poverty of elderly and single-female-headed Pacific Islander households is so severe that increased welfare and Social Security payments do not lift them out of poverty. Raised are a number of unresolved issues about the meaning of poverty and the economic status of elderly households.

Recommended Citation

Ahlburg, Dennis A. (2000) "POVERTY AMONG PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN THE UNITED STATES: INCIDENCE, CHANGE, AND CORRELATES," Pacific Studies: Vol. 23: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol23/iss1/3