Amid Time of Soaring Inequality, Rich Say: The Poor Have It Easy
Oxfam International's Winnie Byanyima says political leaders will ignore inequality at their own peril.
According to the nation's richest people, the poor have it easy.
Fifty-four percent of survey respondents categorized as the most financially secure said "poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return," newly released findings by the Pew Research Center show.
Of the next most financially secure group, 57 percent agreed with that sentiment, while just 29 percent of those categorized as the least financially secure did.
Sixty percent of those at the bottom economic rung also said that the "government should do more to help the needy."
Forty-six percent of those most financially secure said that corporations were raking in too much profit, compared to 65 percent of those least financially secure who thought so.
But inequality--which has reached levels not seen since the 1820s--remains a top concern globally, and citizens see governments as key in addressing the issue, a separate poll found.
GlobeScan and Oxfam International polled 24,000 citizens across two dozen countries, and found that poverty and homelessness continue to be seen as major concerns.
The poll also found that an average of 80 percent rated economic inequality as at least somewhat serious, with 59 percent saying that the government should be at the helm of addressing the issue.
"This poll is powerful evidence that, all over the world, the public clamor to tackle inequality and poverty is growing and hardening by the day," stated Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International. "Our political and business leaders will ignore this at their peril."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
According to the nation's richest people, the poor have it easy.
Fifty-four percent of survey respondents categorized as the most financially secure said "poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return," newly released findings by the Pew Research Center show.
Of the next most financially secure group, 57 percent agreed with that sentiment, while just 29 percent of those categorized as the least financially secure did.
Sixty percent of those at the bottom economic rung also said that the "government should do more to help the needy."
Forty-six percent of those most financially secure said that corporations were raking in too much profit, compared to 65 percent of those least financially secure who thought so.
But inequality--which has reached levels not seen since the 1820s--remains a top concern globally, and citizens see governments as key in addressing the issue, a separate poll found.
GlobeScan and Oxfam International polled 24,000 citizens across two dozen countries, and found that poverty and homelessness continue to be seen as major concerns.
The poll also found that an average of 80 percent rated economic inequality as at least somewhat serious, with 59 percent saying that the government should be at the helm of addressing the issue.
"This poll is powerful evidence that, all over the world, the public clamor to tackle inequality and poverty is growing and hardening by the day," stated Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International. "Our political and business leaders will ignore this at their peril."
According to the nation's richest people, the poor have it easy.
Fifty-four percent of survey respondents categorized as the most financially secure said "poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return," newly released findings by the Pew Research Center show.
Of the next most financially secure group, 57 percent agreed with that sentiment, while just 29 percent of those categorized as the least financially secure did.
Sixty percent of those at the bottom economic rung also said that the "government should do more to help the needy."
Forty-six percent of those most financially secure said that corporations were raking in too much profit, compared to 65 percent of those least financially secure who thought so.
But inequality--which has reached levels not seen since the 1820s--remains a top concern globally, and citizens see governments as key in addressing the issue, a separate poll found.
GlobeScan and Oxfam International polled 24,000 citizens across two dozen countries, and found that poverty and homelessness continue to be seen as major concerns.
The poll also found that an average of 80 percent rated economic inequality as at least somewhat serious, with 59 percent saying that the government should be at the helm of addressing the issue.
"This poll is powerful evidence that, all over the world, the public clamor to tackle inequality and poverty is growing and hardening by the day," stated Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International. "Our political and business leaders will ignore this at their peril."