University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
Adv Child Dev Behav. 2018;54:179-213. doi: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2017.10.002. Epub 2017 Dec 8.
Earnings and income variability have increased since the 1970s, particularly at the bottom of the income distribution. Considerable evidence suggests that childhood income levels-captured as average or point-in-time yearly income-are associated with numerous child and adult outcomes. The importance to child development of stable proximal processes during childhood suggests that income variability may also be important, particularly if it is unpredictable, unintentional, or does not reflect an upward trend in family income. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this study documents trends since the 1970s in three dimensions of childhood income dynamics: level, variability, and growth (n=7991). The analysis reveals that income variability during childhood has grown over time, while income growth rates have not. In addition, the economic context of childhood has diverged substantially by socioeconomic status, race, and family structure, with the most disadvantaged children facing a double-whammy of low income and high variability.
自 20 世纪 70 年代以来，收入和收入变化的不稳定性一直在增加，尤其是在收入分配的底层。有大量证据表明，儿童时期的收入水平——以平均或年度时点收入来衡量——与许多儿童和成人的结果有关。儿童发展过程中稳定的近因过程的重要性表明，收入变化也可能很重要，尤其是如果收入变化是不可预测的、非故意的或不能反映家庭收入的上升趋势。本研究利用收入动态面板研究，记录了自 20 世纪 70 年代以来儿童时期收入动态的三个方面的趋势：水平、变化和增长（n=7991）。分析表明，儿童时期的收入变化随着时间的推移而增加，而收入增长率没有增加。此外，儿童时期的经济背景在社会经济地位、种族和家庭结构方面有了很大的差异，处境最不利的儿童面临着低收入和高变化的双重打击。
