Secondary poverty is a description of poverty referring to those living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

whose income was sufficient for them to live above the line, but was spent on things other than the necessities of life. In 18th and 19th century

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, the practice of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

among

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

s, as well as their rejection of

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

, allowed them to eliminate secondary poverty and accumulate capital. The term was coined by

Seebohm Rowntree Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree, CH (7 July 1871 – 7 October 1954) was an English sociological researcher, social reformer and industrialist. He is known in particular for his three York studies of poverty conducted in 1899, 1935, and 1951. The fi ...

after his investigations into poverty in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Factors contributing to secondary poverty

Alcohol use

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that "the average American consumer dedicates 1 percent of all their spending to alcohol". In

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, households spent an average of £8.90 a week on alcohol.

Gambling

In the United States, the average individual loses $400.00 to

each year. The

National Anti-Gambling League The National Anti-Gambling League (NAGL) was a British campaigning organization founded in 1890 by F. A. Atkins. The aims of the NAGL were laid out in its journal, the ''Bulletin of the National Anti-Gambling League'': NAGL Members included John H ...

, which was founded in 1890, condemned the

lottery A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

as a cause of secondary poverty. More recently, the sociologist Gerda Reith stated that the lottery exploited working classes, which see it as one of the sole avenues for liberation from oppression. Reith stated that governments use the lottery as a means to increase their revenue and called it an "extra form of taxation". Indeed, people in the low-income brackets (2.8%) spend a higher percentage of their household income on games of chance than people in higher income brackets (0.5%). That is important since the risk of gambling related harm increases significantly when more than 1% of gross family income is spent on gambling activities. The additional risk of gambling for those in a lower-income bracket warrants further attention with the expansion of government-operated gambling throughout Canada, especially since increased rates of problem gambling prevalence are linked to enhanced accessibility and availability.Hahmann, T. E., & Matheson, F. L. (n.d.). Problem Gambling and Poverty. Retrieved March 26, 2019, from https://www.greo.ca/Modules/EvidenceCentre/files/Hahmann_and_Matheson_(2017)_Problem_gambling_and_poverty.pdf Problem gambling can be defined as difficulties in limiting money and/or time spent on the activity, which leads to problems for the gambler and others. According to Hahmann and Matheson (n.d.), two life events can lead to homelessness: significant job loss and problem gambling.

Tobacco

In the United States, "14 percent of Americans' incomes are spent on cigarettes, rounding out to roughly one-seventh of their total income." In

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, smokers spend ₹36,000 annually on smoking cigarettes.

Other drugs

"Data from 2003 estimates 26% of the homeless population were drug abusers." "A survey from 2007 notes that 23% of unemployed persons had used cocaine at least once.", although homelessness may contribute to the use of cocaine, rather than the other way around.

Factors contributing to secondary poverty

Alcohol use

Gambling

Tobacco

Other drugs

See also

References

Further reading