Participants were presented with a list of possible causes of poverty, and asked to say whether each was a major, cause, a minor cause, or not a cause at all. Opinions shifted on five of the nine causes given. The largest shifts were regarding “medical bills”, “a decline in morals” and “the welfare system”. The number who thought medical bills were a major cause doubled, while the number who thought a decline in morals was a major a cause, was cut in half. After the program, half a many respondents felt that the welfare system was a major cause of poverty.

When asked before the program which is the bigger cause of poverty today - that people are not doing enough to help themselves out of poverty, or that circumstances beyond their control cause them to be poor, half of the audience thought the former was true. After the program, two thirds felt people are not doing enough themselves.

As with most past surveys, the number of “don’t know” responses decreased following the program. In other words, participants seem more willing to take positions on issues after discussion with their peers and after hearing responses from the panel of experts. In this survey, however, the number of “don’t know” answers increased for two of the survey questions. Following the program, more respondents were unsure that “lack of motivation” was a cause of poverty. When asked whether poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return, or poor people have hard lives because government benefits don’t go far enough to help them live decently, twice as many participants answered “don’t know” in the post-survey.

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

a. Drug abuse

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

b. Medical bills

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

c. Decline in moral values

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

d. Too many part-time or low-wage jobs

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

e. Too many single parents

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

f. Poor people lacking motivation

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

g. Poor public schools

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

h. The welfare system

Q2. For each of the following, do you think this is a major cause of poverty, minor cause of poverty or not a cause at all?

i. A shortage of jobs