Social and Labor Adjustment of Rural Black Americans in the Mississippi Delta: A Case Study of Madison, Ark.

In a study of socioeconomic factors affecting employment of rural people in industry, residents of Madison, Ark., a primarily low-income black community of about 985 in the Mississippi Delta, did not exhibit the "culture of poverty" often attributed to low-income groups. Attitudinal factors affecting employability were measured on five scales by race, sex, age, income, education, and welfare status. Although black groups uniformly scored lower on a scale to measure socioeconomic status (even when balanced by income level and educational attainment), blacks did not uniformly have lower mean scores than whites on scales measuring social participation and job satisfaction potential. Nor were blacks more externally controlled or more tolerant of deviant behavior than whites. Major physical deterrents to employment were lack of transportation and unsatisfactory work environment.