The portrait of disadvantage in 2022 (presented on the following pages) highlights other inequities in economic disadvantage across demographic groups. For example, female New Yorkers experience higher rates of all forms of disadvantage than males, and histories of sex- and gender-based income and social inequality may provide some explanation for the significant differences in these rates. 17 New Yorkers born outside of the U.S. also face higher rates of poverty and hardship than U.S. born residents, but a lower prevalence of health problems. This may be attributed to the immigrant health paradox, an observed phenomenon of better health among immigrants (compared to non-immigrants) upon their arrival to a new country, alluding to the strength and endurance required to make such a transition. 18 There is also substantial variation in poverty, hardship, and health problems by educational attainment, and New Yorkers with a high school degree or less are significantly more likely to face all of these forms of disadvantage than New Yorkers with a college degree. Rates of economic disadvantage also vary by age. Expectedly, New Yorkers age 65 and over have a higher prevalence of health problems than working-age New Yorkers ages 18-64 (38% vs. 18%). Poverty rates are also higher among New Yorkers over age 65 compared to working-age New Yorkers (24% vs 18%), though material hardship is more common among working-age New Yorkers than those age 65 and older (31% vs 18%). Differences in the levels of disadvantage among New Yorkers are also present across boroughs. The pov- erty rate is highest in the Bronx (23%), although Queens (22%) and Brooklyn (20%) also experience higher rates of poverty than Manhattan (18%). Similarly, residents of the Bronx experience much higher rates of material hardship than residents across the other boroughs, at 35%. More than 1 in 4 residents of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens faced material hardship (27%, 27%, and 29%, respectively), as did more than 1 in 5 Staten Island residents (22%). The prevalence of health problems is also notably higher in the Bronx than in other boroughs. Roughly a quarter of Bronx residents (26%) experience health problems; this rate is 7 percentage points higher than in Queens (19%), 3 percentage points higher than in Manhattan (23%), and 2 percentage points higher than in Brooklyn (24%). Each borough differs in its amenities, from infrastructure to health resources and economic activities. In part, the geographic composition, environmental circumstances, and infrastructural limitations of each borough – especially those outside of Manhattan – can explain the varying rates of disadvantage expe- rienced by their residents. Though the rates of poverty, material hardship, and health problems in Staten Island are notably lower than those of the other boroughs, we note that these results should be interpreted with caution, as there is a smaller number of Staten Island residents in our sample. These results highlight how such inequities will continue to persist without intentional policies to narrow — and eventually close — these long-standing gaps. 17 Poverty Tracker respondents are asked to select their gender from the options of male or female. The terms male/female are more commonly associated with sex, and though this is a distinctly different category than gender, we utilize the provided survey lan- guage throughout the report to be most consistent with respondents' selections. In addition, beginning in 2020, the Poverty Tracker began collecting data on other identities than male and female. Due to the recent addition of this survey question, small sample size constraints and anonymity concerns inhibit us from including this data in our report. 18 Markides and Rote, “Immigrant Health Paradox.”
THE STATE OF POVERTY AND DISADVANTAGE IN NEW YORK CITY 23
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