An Indian researcher in the US says, health, education, standard of living and other socio-economic factors may help make a more accurate assessment of a person's financial condition than income alone. <br/><br/>Economist Shatakshee Dhongde from Georgia Institute of Technology in the US showed that there are multiple components of poverty that can more accurately describe a household's economic condition.<br/><br/>She looked at "deprivation" more than simply low income, and found that almost 15 per cent of Americans are deprived in multiple dimensions. The study looks at deprivation in the US since the onset of the Great Recession, roughly 2008 to 2013.<br/><br/>Researcher's analysis showed that while the official income-based poverty rate averaged 13.2 per cent from 2008 to 2013, the multi-dimensional deprivation index averaged 14.9 per cent. The study showed that there was not much overlap between individuals who were income poor and those who were multi-dimensionally deprived.<br/><br/>Only 6.6 per cent of the income poor were also deprived in multiple dimensions. The study was published in the journal Social Indicators Research.

An Indian researcher in the US says, health, education, standard of living and other socio-economic factors may help make a more accurate assessment of a person's financial condition than income alone. <br/><br/>Economist Shatakshee Dhongde from Georgia Institute of Technology in the US showed that there are multiple components of poverty that can more accurately describe a household's economic condition.<br/><br/>She looked at "deprivation" more than simply low income, and found that almost 15 per cent of Americans are deprived in multiple dimensions. The study looks at deprivation in the US since the onset of the Great Recession, roughly 2008 to 2013.<br/><br/>Researcher's analysis showed that while the official income-based poverty rate averaged 13.2 per cent from 2008 to 2013, the multi-dimensional deprivation index averaged 14.9 per cent. The study showed that there was not much overlap between individuals who were income poor and those who were multi-dimensionally deprived.<br/><br/>Only 6.6 per cent of the income poor were also deprived in multiple dimensions. The study was published in the journal Social Indicators Research.