Evolution of the Interpretation of Poverty in Hungary between 2007 and 2019

Abstract

The paper analyzes subjective poverty in Hungary. The results of the data collection in 2019 are compared to the results of former data collections carried out in 2007 and 2011. The methods of systematic data collection are used to collect data about the belief of the population. The paper concludes that poverty is mainly related to material values and it did not change in the examined period. Items expressing labor market problems are closely related to poverty even in 2019 in spite of the fact that over demand in the labor market has lately decreased unemployment. Items about families and child rearing have become less closely related to poverty. The paper concludes that relative poverty threshold coincides with the subjective one. It implies that increasing the absolute income level of individuals may not be enough to improve their subjective wellbeing as they are also concerned with their relative income position.