Study: what will happen if you give a homeless a large amount of money

Фото: Depositphotos

Despite the fact that many studies have proven the effectiveness of donating money to the poor, there are still several points of view in society on this matter, according to one of which you should not give people money - they should learn to earn it.

This is one of the excuses why people do not want to give money to the poor. Among other pretexts: they will spend money on alcohol, drugs, or give them to the criminals who “cover” them, but this is not true, writes Yahoo.

Where the poor will spend the money

In their study, World Bank staff member David Evans and a scientist from Stanford University, Anna Popova, found that if the poor were given a substantial amount of money, their alcohol and drug use decreased.

After analyzing 19 of similar studies in different countries of the world, scientists have concluded that the transfer of money to the poor either does not affect the level of their use of alcohol and cigarettes, or reduces it, but does not increase it.

It's pretty easy to explain. If money is transferred under certain conditions, then they simply can not be spent on alcohol and cigarettes. In most cases, donors provide money for treatment, education, or improved living conditions.

But even if there are no restrictions, the money received inspires people to redirect what they already had into something useful, instead of alcohol or cigarettes. This is due to the fact that very small sums cannot be spent on improving living conditions, but large sums can.

“If you give a poor family enough money to start a small business, they may start investing it in their future, but if they are given the same amount in small installments, they will spend it on daily needs,” the researchers concluded.

In addition, according to scientists, if you add recommendations to the donation on how this money can be properly used, it will also be quite effective.

The results of this study are also supported by a GiveDirectly report, which states that more than 50 of thousands of poor families who received money, confirmed the fallacy of the myth of irresponsibility and laziness of people who are below the poverty line.

Why do we think the poor will spend money on alcohol and cigarettes

It is easy to guess where people got this idea: many representatives of poor families in cities suffer from alcoholism or drug addiction. The study did not deal with the explanation of this phenomenon, but the authors have a theory on this.

They note that if you find yourself in a poor area, you can see people in a state of alcohol or drug intoxication on the street. This in no way gives you a clue as to what proportion of poor people suffer from alcoholism or drug addiction, but the picture is put in memory, fueling the stereotype.

In addition, researchers note, successful people tend to think that they have achieved certain heights in life thanks to the right decisions, and poor people simply do not know how to make the right choice, although this is not always the case.

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