Question

For my research study, I am investigating the impact of unemployment on the U.S. poverty rate. That is, I hypothesized that as unemployment rises the poverty rate for the U.S. will also rise. My study is looking for a positive correlation and increasing causality between the two variables. The results of my study show that for every percentage of increase in unemployment we see a similar increase in the poverty rate. However, another researcher found that as unemployment rises the poverty rate stayed the same. This researcher and I both used the same measure for unemployment but not poverty. Why do we have different results?

Answer 1

Different samples or populations: You and the other researcher may have studied different samples or populations, which could have affected the results. For example, if you studied a population with higher unemployment rates, you may see a stronger correlation between unemployment and poverty.

Different time periods: Your studies may have looked at different time periods, which could also affect the results. For example, if you studied a time period with higher overall unemployment rates, you may see a stronger correlation between unemployment and poverty.

Different measures of poverty: You and the other researcher may have used different measures of poverty, which could also impact the results. For example, if you use a different poverty threshold or measure income in a different way, you may see different results.

Other factors: There may also be other factors that influence the relationship between unemployment and poverty, such as the availability of social services, the strength of the economy, or demographic characteristics of the population.

Step-by-step explanation: