Poverty and mindsets
How poverty and exclusion over generations aff ect aspirations, hope and decisions, and how to address it
Publication metadata
This report looks at how being immersed in poverty and social exclusion for a prolonged period may affect how people consider themselves and their future, and how they act in relation to it. This report focuses on a less-studied obstacle – that is, how poverty and exclusion affect behaviour, aspirations, hope and agency, which can all be essential drivers to social mobility. Evidence suggests that the experience of poverty itself seems to contribute to the transmission of poverty to the next generation. The report gathers and summarises findings from behavioural studies, neuroscience, sociological and economic studies. Bringing together these diverse sources and scientific evidence can help to better understand this complex issue, and to identify countermeasures that may effectively address the problem.