Science. 1990 Apr 27;248(4954):450-3. doi: 10.1126/science.248.4954.450.
The term "underclass" has been widely used by journalists and by some social scientists but, until recently, has not been clearly defined or quantified. Most of the recent quantitatively oriented literature on the topic has used a definition that emphasizes either the persistence ofpoverty or the number ofpeople living in neighborhoods where the incidence ofpoverty or dysfunctional behavior is high. Conclusions about the size and growth of the underclass are sensitive to the definition chosen, but most available evidence suggests that it is small but growing.
“下层阶级”一词被记者和一些社会科学家广泛使用，但直到最近，它还没有被明确界定或量化。最近关于这个话题的大多数定量文献都使用了一种强调贫困持续存在或生活在贫困或功能失调行为发生率高的社区的人数的定义。关于下层阶级的规模和增长的结论对所选择的定义很敏感，但大多数现有证据表明，它虽然规模较小，但在不断增长。
