Culture Of Poverty Among The Poor Malays In Seri Medan Subdistrict Of Batu Pahat, Johor

Abstract

In recent years, cultural factors have been revisited in the poverty research agenda. The culture of poverty is claimed to be one of the main factors leading to the poor being trapped in poverty. The objective of this paper is to explore the culture of poverty that caused the poor to remain living under the poverty line in Malaysia. The study was conducted on 313 poor Malay household heads at Seri Medan, Batu Pahat, Johor. The data of the poor was obtained using the e-Kasih information system (heads of household in Seri Medan) at Batu Pahat District Office. Questionnaire survey and interviews were then conducted on related poor head of households. The findings show that the culture of poverty had the highest mean score of 3.17 compared to other poverty contributing factors. This study contributes to the knowledge on the culture of poverty that are found amongst the poor community of Malaysia, thus strengthening the claim of the culture of poverty as the primary causal factor behind an individual or group’s persistency to live below the poverty line.