Attributions, structuring and emotions about poverty among Makerere University students

Abstract

This study examined the relationships among attributions, structuring, and emotions about poverty among Makerere University students in Uganda. The research used a quantitative correlational design; data was collected from 44 students across various colleges at Makerere University through self-administered questionnaires measuring poverty attributions, attributional structuring, and poverty-related emotions. The study tested three hypotheses regarding relationships between background characteristics and attributions, attributions and attributional structuring, and attributional structuring and emotions. Results revealed no significant relationships between demographic variables (gender, age, religion, housing type) and poverty attributions, nor between general attributions and attributional structuring. However, a significant positive correlation emerged between attributional structuring and emotions about poverty, suggesting that students’ cognitive frameworks regarding poverty’s controllability, stability, and locus influence their emotional responses to economic hardship. Findings indicated that students held mixed perspectives, acknowledging both individual responsibility and structural constraints as poverty causes. While students strongly endorsed the value of hard work and personal agency, they simultaneously recognized external power dynamics and systemic barriers affecting economic outcomes. The research highlights the importance of cognitive-affective linkages in shaping poverty perceptions and suggests that educational interventions addressing attributional frameworks may influence emotional engagement with poverty issues. Future research should employ larger, more diverse samples, incorporate qualitative methods, utilize comprehensive socioeconomic measures, and consider longitudinal designs to better understand how poverty-related cognitions and emotions develop among university students.