Final answer:
The statement about life expectancy in relation to wealth is a hypothesis, with wealth as the independent variable and life expectancy as the dependent variable.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "People who live in poverty have shorter life expectancies than wealthier citizens" qualifies as a c. hypothesis. A hypothesis is a proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. In this context, the level of wealth could be the independent variable, as it's the condition being manipulated or considered to cause an effect on the dependent variable, which in this case would be life expectancy. Thus, poverty or wealth status is presumed to affect the lifespan of an individual. Researchers might then conduct a controlled experiment or an observational study to test this hypothesis.