The U.S. has an exceptionally high child poverty rate, with almost 17 percent of children living in poverty. Compare that to Denmark, Norway, Germany, and Switzerland, where child poverty consistently falls under 10 percent.
The Century Foundation‘s new report shows that a modest child allowance could cut child poverty in half—a $4,000 yearly allowance for each child would also reduce deep child poverty to a mere 1.6 percent.
Critics claim the money won’t go to children but studies show that, with the allowance, parents were able to spend more on books, toys, and healthy foods, not on “drugs, alcohol and tobacco,” as critics suggest.
