Determinants of poverty among households in Uganda.

Abstract

This study explores the determinants of poverty among households in Uganda. Poverty is complex and dynamic and it involves social, economic, cultural, political and other forms of deprivation. Such deprivation affects individuals of different age brackets, sex and abilities or disabilities. It also affects entire households, certain social groups and communities that are marginalized and disadvantaged

In order to establish the relationship between socio-economic and demographic characteristics and poverty among households in Uganda, a Possession score on assets was used to estimate of household welfare. In the construction of the possession score index, a score was given to each asset based on counting of the physically present assets backed up by visual inspection. Seven (7) items were included after considering what the people in Uganda wish to possess as soon as their income increases. The households were classified as poor, middle class and rich if they had a total of score between 0-3 (inclusive), 4-5 (inclusive) and 6-7 (inclusive), respectively. This aided to distinguish between households, which were under the condition of high deprivation, at risk of deprivation and those households, which were living in the condition of less deprivation.

Although the study indicated that most of the factors were significant, the female headed households were found to be poorer than males. This study also found out that as age of the household head increases, the likelihood of belonging to middle and rich classes increases.

The urban households had higher odds of belonging to the middle class than rural households. Households with employed heads had higher odds of belonging to middle class than those with unemployed heads. Households with educated women were found to have higher odds of belonging to middle class than those with uneducated women. Households with heads in who were never married were found to be poorer than the married. However, according to the study, sex, residence and household size do not greatly affect household poverty. Therefore, there is need to design strategies that would help rural and the deprived urban people (areas) overcome poverty by setting up projects which would enable them overcome poverty.