STANFORD, CA—Highlighting the consequences of decades of U.S. policies that have contributed to rising economic inequality, a new study released Tuesday by Stanford University’s Center on Poverty and Inequality found a widening gap between the nation’s rich pets and poor citizens. “Our data shows a rapidly increasing disparity between Americans living in poverty and the top 1% of Americans’ pets,” said study co-author Madeline Greggs, adding that from access to high-quality food and stable housing to consistent medical care, the average pet of a rich American family had a significantly higher quality of life than a vast majority of low-income Americans. “Since the 1970s, economic growth has slowed for all but a tiny fraction of Americans and their pets, such that not only are the vast majority of luxury goods much more available to these purebred dogs, cats, and chinchillas than the average person, rich pets enjoy lavish lifestyles that many U.S. citizens could only dream of.” The report concluded by suggesting that the most viable path to prosperity for low-income Americans was becoming a wealthy family’s pet.
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