Social Work Students' Perceptions of Poverty and Social Welfare Programs in the United States

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore social work students' perceptions of poverty and social welfare programs in the United States. The primary goal of the social work profession is to work toward the enhancement of the wellbeing of populations that are oppressed, vulnerable, or living in poverty (NASW, 2008). Previous studies have found that social work students attributed causes of poverty to structural factors (Rosenthal, 1997; Schwartz & Robinson, 1991) and had a positive view of social welfare policies (Roff, Adams, & Klemmack, 1984), but as the social work profession continues to evolve toward providing more mental health services (NASW, n.d.), it is important to examine current social work students' perceptions of the causes of poverty and the effects of social welfare policies on impoverished populations. Examining social work students' perceptions of poverty and social welfare programs may enable social work educators to modify curricula to include a more comprehensive examination of poverty in order support social work students in their professional development and improve practice.

Methods: Data were drawn from a sample of 264 of social work students from two universities in the western part of the United States in the Fall of 2009. The participants were: 81.4% females, 18.6% males; 82.8% White, 17.3% non-White; 69.7% 20-30 years old, 30.4% 31 years old or older. The primary independent variables were demographic variables. The primary dependent variables were perceptions of the causes of poverty and the impact of social welfare programs on those living in poverty.

Results: Logistic regression analyses indicated a relationship between students' race and exposure to poverty and their perceptions of the causes of poverty and the impact of social welfare programs. White students were less likely to perceive poverty as the result of unequal opportunities. Participants who had traveled to developing countries were more likely to attribute poverty to be the result of social structures and unequal opportunities. Those eligible for free/reduced lunch (FRL) as children were less likely to perceive that people are poor because they do not want to work. Those eligible for FRL as children were also less likely to perceive that social welfare programs lead to dependence on the government and that receiving social welfare benefits encouraged idleness.

Implications: Participants who had been exposed to poverty were more likely to attribute the causes of poverty to structural factors and less likely to have negative perceptions of the impact of social welfare programs. This indicates that although the mission of the profession is to enhance the wellbeing of those living in poverty, current social work students may not fully understand the causes of poverty or how social welfare programs can be beneficial for those living in poverty. Social work programs should seek to enhance students' understanding that poverty is not the result of one singular factor but a multitude of psychological, social, political, economic, and cultural factors, and that social welfare programs can benefit those living in poverty.