1. Poverty, Sense of Belonging and Experiences of Social Isolation.
- Author
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Stewart, MiriamJ., Makwarimba, Edward, Reutter, LindaI., Veenstra, Gerry, Raphael, Dennis, and Love, Rhonda
- Subjects
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SOCIAL isolation , *SOCIAL conditions of poor people , *RICH people , *INCOME gap , *INCOME inequality , *POVERTY , *SOCIAL classes , *SOCIAL perception , *SOCIAL history - Abstract
This article compares experiences of social isolation and perceptions of belonging between lower-income and higher-income people. We conducted individual interviews with 60 higher-income and 59 lower-income study participants and six group interviews with 34 low-income participants from two Canadian cities. Subsequently, a representative sample of 1,671 lower- and higher-income participants was surveyed by telephone. Income was a consistent predictor of measures of isolation and sense of belonging to the community: lower-income people experienced greater isolation and a lower sense of belonging than did higher-income people. Poverty shaped low-income people's perceptions and experiences of stigmatization and isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
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