Sep 9, 2009
Why We Can’t Just Throw Money at Poverty
Mariano Rojas from Mexico’s Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales has found more evidence that higher income doesn’t automatically translate into greater well-being—which means programs aimed at lifting people out of poverty need to focus on more than raising income levels, he says.
According to a write-up of his study, which used data from Costa Rica:
Only 24 percent of people classified as “poor” rated their life satisfaction as low. Furthermore, 18 percent of people in the ‘non-poor’ category also reported low life satisfaction. It is therefore clear that poverty alone does not define an individual’s overall well-being and it is possible for someone to come out of poverty and remain less than satisfied with his life. On the other hand, a person can be satisfied with his life even if his income is low, as long as he is moderately satisfied in other areas of life such as family, self, health, job, and economic.
I feel in my opinion, that this study is true. As the old saying goes, “money cannot buy happiness”, I feel it still stands true today. As the study shows, that even people who are affluent they can still be unhappy. Although I feel that there is still a small correlation between wealth and happiness, that the biggest correlation as stated in the study is that with loved ones. A wealthy person who is lonely I think would be less content than someone who is not as wealthy but has a family to love and care for. This study holds true to its title that “We can’t just throw money at poverty”.