NYT: US scientists find childhood friendships with the rich lift the poor out of poverty
US scientists have found a way to fight poverty. They found that friendship with the rich helps people from poor families out of poverty, writes edition of the New York Times.
Experts analyzed the friendships of 72 million people on social networks. It turned out that the success of people from poor areas in adulthood is mainly determined by the degree of closeness with more affluent peers.
On average, the incomes of children who grew up in neighborhoods where 70 percent of friends come from wealthy families increased by 20 percent. Scientists have called this phenomenon “economic ownership” and said that it affects the future of the child more than school education and family circumstances.
“Children who grow up in neighborhoods with strong class connections perform better and are more likely to move out of poverty,” said Raj Chetty, a Harvard economist and director of Opportunity Analytics, a program that studies the roots of economic inequality.
Earlier, TV channel Das Erste reported that the number of Germans below the poverty line has increased in Germany. Since the beginning of 2022, due to inflation, the pandemic and the situation in Ukraine, the number of people included in the Tafel list has approximately doubled.
#Scientists #fight #poverty