The perception of poverty in a context of fragility – the case of Guinea-Bissau

Bibliographic Data

ID21114475
AuthorsDeolinda Maria Dos Santos Martins (University of Aveiro), Miguel Viegas (0000-0003-1390-4992, University of Aveiro, corresponding author), Carlos Sangreman (0000-0001-5591-6882, University of Aveiro)
Year2026
Pages1-13
Publication date2026-06-23
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopment in Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0961-4524 • E-ISSN: 1364-9213
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09614524.2026.2689997
OpenAlexW7165658179
LanguageEN
References cited21

This article examines subjective poverty in Guinea-Bissau, one of Africa’s most fragile states, using survey data from 190 households. We investigate how individuals perceive their own deprivation and identify the factors most strongly associated with these perceptions. Given the predominance of ordinal variables and non-normal distributions, we apply nonparametric methods (Spearman’s ρ and Kendall’s τ) to test correlations. Results show that housing quality, food security, and education are the strongest determinants of perceived poverty. Notably, education is positively associated with stronger feelings of deprivation, reflecting relative deprivation and aspiration–attainment gaps in a context where opportunities remain scarce. Traditional sociodemographic predictors show weaker effects. The findings suggest that addressing poverty requires not only improving objective conditions but also responding to how people interpret their situation. Policy should target basic housing, food security, and education systems, while narrowing the gap between rising expectations and limited opportunities

Context (archaeology) · Context effect · Feeling · Fragility · Perception · Poverty · Relative deprivation · Survey data collection · Agricultural risk and resilience · Income, Poverty, and Inequality · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare

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