Why Americans Hate Welfare : Race, Media, and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy Paperback / softback
by Martin Gilens
Part of the Studies in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion series
Paperback / softback
Description
Drawing on surveys of public attitudes and analyses of more than 40 years of television and newsmagazine stories on poverty, this book demonstrates how public opposition to welfare is fed by a potent combination of racial stereotypes and misinformation about the true nature of America's poor.
But the answer isn't simply that white Americans oppose welfare because they think it benefits blacks; rather, they think it benefits "undeserving" blacks who would rather live off the government than work, a perception powerfully fuelled by the media's negative coverage of the black poor.
Martin Gilens not only examines public opinion and public policy; he also explores the historical context that shaped these attitudes and the role the news media have played in "racializing" poverty and poverty programmes.
The public's views on welfare, Gilens shows, are a complex mixture of cynicism and compassion; misinformed and racially charged, they nevertheless reflect both a distrust of welfare recipients and a desire to do more to help the deserving poor.
Information
-
Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks
- Format:Paperback / softback
- Pages:303 pages
- Publisher:The University of Chicago Press
- Publication Date:01/10/2000
- Category:
- ISBN:9780226293653
Information
-
Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks
- Format:Paperback / softback
- Pages:303 pages
- Publisher:The University of Chicago Press
- Publication Date:01/10/2000
- Category:
- ISBN:9780226293653