More Poverty In U.S., With Striking Increase Among Whites

Survey data indicates that four out of five U.S. adults are unemployed, or at poverty or near-poverty level for at least part of their lives. Although nonwhites still have a higher risk of being economically insecure, race disparities have diminished. Whites also poll as less optimistic about their future prospects than blacks, and Harvard sociologist William Julius Wilson warns of increasing alienation among whites if the inequality issue is not addressed.