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Since poverty rates mean the percentages of poor people in given regions, is it OK to say poverty percentages? In common cases, is percentage an alternative to rate?
Apr 1, 2023 7:29 AM
Answers · 10
2
Nah not really
April 1, 2023
1
Yes, it is generally acceptable to use the term "poverty percentages" to refer to the percentages of poor people in a given region. In this context, "percentages" can be used interchangeably with "rates" to describe the proportion of individuals or households living in poverty. In common usage, "percentage" and "rate" can often be used interchangeably to refer to the proportion or frequency of a particular occurrence. However, there may be subtle differences in meaning depending on the context. For example, "percentage" may be used more commonly in everyday conversation or in contexts that are less technical or formal, while "rate" may be used more commonly in technical or scientific contexts. In general, it is important to consider the specific context and audience when deciding which term to use, and to ensure that the usage is appropriate and clear.
April 1, 2023
1
I agree with SiderismM10. The words do seem to mean the same thing, but in this usage we would not say "poverty percentages" as likely as "poverty rates".
April 1, 2023
Yes, people would say that. It is not, however, precise mathematical language. To make it precise you need to say what you mean by "poor" and specify exactly what group of people you are counting. That is harder than you might think. For example, people who are twenty years old typically have little income even if they have wealthy parents. People in their thirties often have negative net worth (and lots of debt) even if they have well paying jobs. Defining who is "poor" is tricky.
April 1, 2023
‘Rate’ is them more general and natural term. ‘A quarter of the people are poor.’ expresses a rate but not a percentage. You could use ‘percentage’ if you are looking at a table of rates expressed as percentages. But we’d likely use a more descriptive phrase then ‘poverty percentage’. For example ‘Table 2 shows the percentage of people living in poverty for the countries of the EU.’
April 2, 2023
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