Americans Are Mistaken About Who Gets Welfare

[fleur-de-lisa]

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/americans-welfare-perceptions-survey_us_5a7880cde4b0d3df1d13f60b?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Surprise, surprise! Perception based on race . . .

. . . the word is often loaded with racial meaning. As a new HuffPost/YouGov survey shows, much of the public has a distorted view of which groups receive the bulk of assistance from government programs. Fifty-nine percent of Americans say either that most welfare recipients are black, or that welfare recipiency is about the same among black and white people.

The numbers reflect a significant overestimation of the number of black Americans benefiting from the largest programs. Medicaid had more than 70 million beneficiaries in 2016, of whom 43 percent were white, 18 percent black, and 30 percent Hispanic. Of 43 million food stamp recipients that year, 36.2 percent were white, 25.6 percent black, 17.2 percent Hispanic and 15.5 percent unknown. (Food stamps are formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.)

In one sense, HuffPost’s survey asked an abstract question: The federal government doesn’t run a program that is actually called “welfare.” The word can describe any instance of the government helping people or businesses, though it’s most commonly used to describe programs that benefit the poor.

These days, to Republican lawmakers, welfare means Medicaid, food stamps and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Paul Ryan and hardline conservatives in the House of Representatives have said they want to make changes to those three programs this year under the banner of welfare reform.

Historically, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is probably the program that has most frequently been called welfare, as it was created in the famous “welfare reform” of 1996. As a result of that reform, the program today is much smaller than its predecessor, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and it only served 2.7 million people in 2016. Of those, 36.9 percent were Hispanic, 27.6 percent white, and 29.1 percent black ― meaning that if they had this particular program in mind, HuffPost’s survey respondents who said the number of white and black beneficiaries are “about the same” were basically right.

Survey respondents’ estimation of who receives welfare tracked closely to their estimation of who gets food stamps. Nearly two-thirds of poll respondents said the program’s recipients are mostly black or that there are as many black Americans as white Americans receiving benefits. Only 21 percent correctly said there are more white than black food stamp recipients.

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Thinking people know this,it is the

low info and bigots who have no clue. Did a part time stint at a County Human Services Office. Depending on which area of the County,the numbers were higher towards the Caucasian Population. Again thanks for the must read info.

[Angry Dragon]

2. KICK

[niyad]

3. we should talk about the real welfare recipients--the extraction industries, and tobacco and sugar.

[whathehell]

4. I believe that there are more white recipients because there are more

Whites than Blacks in the country. I don't believe there are proportionately more whites than blacks on Welfare.

[maxsolomon]

6. there are proporionately more Af-Ams on "welfare", i believe.

in relation to the total population numbers. because higher percentages of Af-Ams are disadvantaged by centuries of racist economic policies.

regardless, facts have ceased to matter. only resentments count.

[erronis]

15. And I wonder why this segregation of black/white/other is so f'in important.

Of course the repuglican's and their fellow travelers like to point to easily identifiable sub-populations.

I know that the populations within states (which is where Medicaid is administered) is much, MUCH more complex than the color of skin or some census/other survey.

Understand that Medicaid is targeted towards populations that really need assistance. Such as elderly without adequate resources, children, people with disabilities, people that live in true poverty and need help to stay healthy.

It is of the deepest level of the cesspool that the scum treat Medicaid and other assistance programs with such scorn.

I know that some of their ancestors have suckled off the teat of public assistance, as do many of the others who don't pay their share of taxes and yet expect us to support them.

Jeez!

[IronLionZion]

18. It's important because GOP has been dividing poor whites against blacks and hispanics

and there would be less support for cutting these benefits if people found out it was affecting their neighbors down the street and not some other people far away.

[erronis]

20. Total agreement. My question is how we let "them" frame this separation.

We should be able to say that their "buckets" are just like their gerrymandered districts. Chose to prove their points.

Of course only Fux won't delve into the m's and n's of populations and the repuglicans leadership and followers don't give-a-shit.

[jayschool2013]

22. Sounds as if the right

It sounds as if the right is playing identity politics, eh?

[LanternWaste]

8. Then you'll supply us with the numbers to validate that belief, yes?

Then you'll supply us with the numbers broken down to validate that belief, yes?

[mr_lebowski]

10. It's not hard to deduce ... there are way more Whites here than Blacks

Offhand I'd guess around 3 or 4 times more ... ergo if the percentage availing themselves of benefits breaks near equal then proportionately, a higher % of the Black population is availing themselves.

Or do you doubt there's a lot more whites than blacks?

I'm not 'judging' Black folks, I understand why that needs to be the case under current conditions, to be clear. I don't begrudge at all. Rather give them money than the Military & Contractors.

[whathehell]

23. No, not necessarily...I never claimed it as "fact",

so if you want to challenge it, you can feel free to do the research yourself.

[aggiesal]

24. Following taken from US Census Bureau ...

(US Census Bureau)
Approximate U.S. Population July 2017: 325,726,543
White Percentage: 61.3% (199,670,370 Approximate White Population)
Black Percentage: 13.3% (43,321,630 Approximate Black Population)
Hispanic Percentage: 17.8% (57,979,324 Approximate Hispanic Population)

(From Article)
70 Million People received Medicaid (From Article)
43% White: 30,100,000 of 199,670,370 = 15% of White Population received Medicare
18% Black: 12,604,000 of 43,321,630 = 29% of Black Population received Medicare
30% Hispanic: 21,000,000 of 57,979,324 = 36% of Hispanic Population received Medicare

(From Article)
43 Million People received Food Stamps (A.K.A. SNAP - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
36.2% White: 15,566,000 of 199,670,370 = 7.8% of White Population received Food Stamps
25.6% Black: 11,008,000 of 43,431,630 = 25.4% of Black Population received Food Stamps
17.2% Hispanic: 7,396,000 of 57,979,324 = 12.8% of Hispanic Population received Food Stamps

Combining Medicare and Food Stamp numbers will show that more White population are receiving the
most in numbers, but some percentage are receiving both in all three population segments,
so it's hard to determine the exact numbers.

[Sophia4]

19. Not many doctors, lawyers or successful stock brokers on any of these

programs. People who work at jobs that don't pay well, and people who can't get jobs rely on these programs for minimal support -- just enough to survive. A very small percentage of the people cheat to get on the program. And they are taking an unwise risk to say the least.

[smirkymonkey]

5. K&R

[procon]

7. This is basically wage theft, a reflection employers who underpay minority workers.

"Medicaid had more than 70 million beneficiaries in 2016, of whom 43 percent were white, 18 percent black, and 30 percent Hispanic."

That says employers are not paying paying their workers a living wage, forcing them to rely on public assistance just to afford normal daily living expenses.

"Of 43 million food stamp recipients that year, 36.2 percent were white, 25.6 percent black, 17.2 percent Hispanic and 15.5 percent unknown."

That says employers are not paying paying their workers a living wage where they can even afford to feed their families.


If republicans are really so concerned about welfare benefits, then they need to raise the minimum wage to an actual living wage, strengthen unions, and do more oversight on employers who cheat workers.

[burnbaby]

9. yes yes and yes. nt

[treestar]

11. Also about how long people are on it

Deplorables are always certain that the black people are on it permanently.

[madamesilverspurs]

12. Been there

Over the years I’ve had many opportunities to spend long hours in various “welfare” offices. The waiting rooms are usually crowded and too often standing-room-only, and the usual wait times have provided eye-witness (if anecdotal) testimony to the demographic makeup of applicants.

In this neck of the woods, people who look like me (northern European ancestry) predominate, and in my admittedly limited observations comprise the majority of welfare seekers. When the topic arises in conversation, that observation is too often met with disbelief and anger on the part of people who have never set foot in any welfare facility. The favorite target for welfare vilification is the Hispanic community, and my personal observations have sometimes elicited accusations of lying from those who are committed to their anti-Hispanic bias. To date, every time I’ve asked those accusers to provide proof of their assertions, that proof has been (to put it politely) second-hand hearsay — “I know someone who met someone who heard about someone . . .”. EVERY time.

Sad, isn’t it?

[erronis]

16. Thank you, Madame SS! I get to see the same demographics (or lack of quantifiable)

In my statistical research around the US and regionally.

The people that are against any social programs, safety nets, are the same that will take tax write-offs or hide money using their well-paid legal/cpa team.

Their argument has been used to divide the country and raise their rabble for decades. Somehow we need to find a clear and cogent way to point out the falsehoods and errors in their ways - each and every time they arise. And this should be a resource that can be invoked everytime a liar opens his mouth in the name of cost-savings on the back of the poor and needy.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. That's one of those strongly irregular verbs ...

First person: I am entitled to subsidies.

Second person: You are on Welfare.

Third person: Those People are mooching off us hardworking honest taxpayers.

[Chakaconcarne]

14. Start making serious cuts to welfare....

and you can be sure the deplorables will be complaining about it because "hard working Americans" need this safety net.

[certainot]

17. that's what happens when thinking caring people give 1500 radio stations a free speech free ride

this has been a regular objective for 30 years on talk radio

it was years, maybe decades, before limbaugh stopped repeating the welfare queen with the pink cadillac bullshit

[dchill]

21. Oh, SNAP!