It pays to be wealthier

A new review from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation looks at whether wealth affects children's outcomes, and concludes that it does. The authors analyzed studies which separated the effect of money from other factors (e.g., levels of parental education or parenting approaches) to isolate whether money was a direct cause of differences in outcomes. A total of 34 studies met the inclusion criteria.

The review concluded that while a parent's level of education, attitude toward bringing up children, and other parental factors also have a bearing, having more money directly improves the development and level of achievement of children. The authors found that money in early childhood makes the most difference in cognitive outcomes, while in later childhood and adolescence it makes more difference in social and behavioral outcomes. 

Johns Hopkins University 

Research in Brief

News Blast