Final answer:
The correct answer is false.The statement regarding 30 percent of the 40 million people under the poverty line being children or seniors is false. Poverty rates fluctuate and are influenced by various factors including ethnicity, education, and household leadership.
Step-by-step explanation:
The claim that approximately 30 percent of America's 40 million people living below the official poverty line are children under the age of 18 or people over 65 is false. This assertion suggests that about 12 million of the impoverished population in the U.S. are either children or seniors, which is not accurate according to the provided information.
The poverty rates and their demographic distribution are complex, varying significantly among different age groups and ethnicities. For example, the poverty rate was at 15.1% in 2010 and reached a low of 10.5% in 2019. In 2011, the poverty rates were lower for whites, the elderly, the well-educated, and male-headed households, compared to females, Hispanics, and African Americans. While the latter groups have higher poverty percentages, most people living in poverty in the U.S. are still categorized as white people.