How society’s inequalities showed up in COVID outcomes

During the 2020 lockdowns, residents of affluent areas in Salt Lake County, Utah were able to stay at home more than residents of the least affluent zip codes, suggesting that the “essential worker” occupations of the least-affluent areas, which are also the highest minority populations, placed them at greater risk for contracting COVID-19. Subsequently, the least-affluent zip codes experienced nearly ten times the COVID incidence rate of affluent areas.

What we don’t understand about poverty in America

What if the idealized image of American society — a land of opportunity that will reward hard work with economic success — is completely wrong?“Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty,” a new book from Mark Rank, a leading academic expert on poverty, explores this concept.It is the first book to systematically address and confront many of the most widespread myths pertaining to poverty.