Achievement or Ascription Ideology? An Analysis of Attitudes about Future Success for Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods

Abstract

Literature on the urban experience suggests that, in response to poverty and other structural constraints, residents in poor urban neighborhoods often develop oppositional cultures and exhibit attitudes and behavior that differ drastically from those found in the larger society. This project examines the attitudes of a sample of poor and near-poor urbanites regarding what is needed to get ahead in life. If their attitudes reflect an oppositional culture, respondents would be expected to associate success with ascription variables such as race/ethnicity, sex, and family economics rather than achievement variables such as hard work and education. Bivariate and multivariate results indicate that regardless of race/ethnicity, sex, household economics, or neighborhood poverty, respondents embrace an achievement ideology that acknowledges the importance of education and hard work. These findings help dispel oppositional culture theories as exemplars of the attitudes of residents in poor urban neighborhoods.