Poverty in your nation

[The blood ravens]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?: Developed
What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?: 1%
What would a poor neighborhood look like?: There are no specific poor neighborhoods. Lower income individuals live in apartments in cities while more wealthy families live in suburbs. But apartments can't really be considered poor housing really.
Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?: Yes.
If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?: 2.7% (Includes unemployment.)
What is the typical health of a poor citizen?: Due to welfare programs, cheap healthy food, and low cost housing the general health of poorer citizens is fairly good.
What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?: Probably transport. Poorer families that don't live in cities might have problems buying a car. There is currently several car manufacturers trying to develop cheaper hydrogen powered cars to reduce this problem.

[The Children of Mama]

Um, we'll let Mama handle this one.

[Mama adds: Let's see...

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?: Very developed, probably far beyond yours. My Children's world is almost entirely automated, with bots performing all manual labor jobs, freeing my Children up for the easier tasks of supervision and maintenance. It's been this way for thousands of years, and I've simplified the process for them; my Children treat it largely as one big game. For my Children, "work" as you xenos know it is almost a thing of the past.

What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?: According to the NS economic statisticians, my Children's annual GDP is $11,600, and the World Assembly rates us at 53% over the world median for Income Equality. Taken together, I would say that either very few of my Children live in poverty, or nearly all of them do, depending on where you draw the line. Compared to the xeno nations in our region, my Children's GDP is fairly small, so we'll just say that they are all living modestly. Of course, their living arrangements are much more efficient--I supply them with dormitory housing and cafeteria food so that they don't have to waste time building and maintaining homes for themselves and gathering and preparing food and so on. So, most of that modest GDP can actually be spent on more leisurely activities.

What would a poor neighborhood look like?: The main difference would be a lack of built-up infrastructure. As my Children's population grows, I have to oversee the building of more habitats for them. A habitat takes time to mature and become really livable, so Children living in newly constructed ones (I like to call them "pioneers") have to do with less automation, access to transportation, variety of food, and so on.

Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?: I encourage but do not require my Children to participate in the overseeing of their almost entirely automated world. A small fraction of my Children tend to slack off and prefer spending their days playing their own games despite my encouragement. Regardless of whether they're working or not, I see that all of my Children get food and shelter.

If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?: According to the statisticians, roughly 7% of my Children would fall under the "slacker" category. It's a tolerable margin. Considering the amount of services I oversee and supply to my Children, most xeno nations would probably argue that in fact my Children's entire nation is on welfare of some kind. The World Assembly rates us at 4.8 times the world average on moneys spent on "social welfare" by their reckoning.

What is the typical health of a poor citizen?: All of my Children are treated equally when it comes to healthcare--I see that it's provided for them (according to the World Assembly, my Children have access to 5.2 times as many public healthcare facilities as the world average). Thanks to my Children's technological progress, they are in excellent health regardless of actual income.

What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?: See my comments on "pioneering" above. Basically, newer habitats aren't as much fun to live and play in as mature ones, because they require much more time spent overseeing the infrastructure development. Being a "pioneer" is hard work (by my Children's standards), so I make it up to them through greater access to breeding permits--after all, the point of the new habitats is to be filled with new Children.]

[Costa Aluria]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?:
Developed

What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?:
The real question is how many of those who are living under the poverty level are choosing to do so. The number of Costa Alurians who unwillingly live below the poverty level is <1%.

What would a poor neighborhood look like?:(You can use a photo, but you can describe it in words if you want to)
I suppose it would look like a hotel. Costa Alurian hotels with at least 25 rooms are required to register for a lottery which reserves at least 1% of their accommodations for families that suddenly become homeless. Each room must accommodate at least four people who may stay for up to three months. The hotel to offer the room is chosen by lottery with a limit to how frequently each hotel can serve in a given time period. (Think jury duty, but for hotels.) Hotels that are not currently part of the lottery are free to rent out rooms as during normal business practice, and those chosen are notified a full year in advance so as to not disrupt reservations.

Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?: yes, a small portion

If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?:
welfare here only means food assistance, and that number is very low

What is the typical health of a poor citizen?:
Even Costa Aluria's poor are in generally good health

[Ardoki]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?: Ardoki is highly-developed.

What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?: 0%

What would a poor neighborhood look like?:(You can use a photo, but you can describe it in words if you want to) We don't have poor neighbourhoods as we have eliminated poverty due to our economic system of socialism.

Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?: Yes, everything needed to live is provided for all residents free of charge (includes housing, food, healthcare, education, utilities, public transport etc). Old, sick, disabled and other people unable to work (like mothers etc) are given enough credits for them and their dependents (children) to live comfortably.

If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?: Every single citizen and legal resident.

What is the typical health of a poor citizen?: Free universal healthcare is given out to all citizens and residents.

What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?: We don't have poor parts in the nation.

[Imperial Avantia]

The average Avantia Citizen, is the lower 1% of the US, we have vast amount of money.

[Radiatia]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?
Technically speaking, Radiatia is a very developed, highly technologically advanced nation. In fact it has one of the highest GDPs in the world. But that doesn't take the whole 'massive income divide' thing into account.

What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?
Depends on the definition of 'poverty' but most statistics say around 14%. One in ten Radiatians are malnourished or starving. (Conversely two in ten are obese - another sign of the divide.)

What would a poor neighbourhood look like?
Depends what part of the country you're in. In rural Radiatia we're mainly talking run down shacks and trailer parks. In urban Radiatia we're talking either cheap council-owned apartments, or simply streets with large numbers of homeless people and homicides.

Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?
Not on a federal level, though some states offer unemployment benefits and various other welfare schemes.

If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?
Data not available.

What is the typical health of a poor citizen?
Usually cold, sick and hungry - and in most cases mentally ill.

What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?
Poverty tends to breed crime.

[Corunia and Mironor]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?:
Developed

What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?:
Approximately 1-2%

What would a poor neighborhood look like?:(You can use a photo, but you can describe it in words if you want to)
No data.

Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?:
Yes, our economy largely follows the Nordic Model (free market+welfare state)

If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?:
A very small amount, as poverty is very rare.

What is the typical health of a poor citizen?:
We have universal healthcare, so health isn't a very big problem.

What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?:
The only common problem in poor parts of Corunia and Mironor is unemployment, which is very low anyways.

[Nuevo Asturies]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?: Although most of the nation is developed, a vast amount of it is abandoned
What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?: +85%
What would a poor neighborhood look like?:(You can use a photo, but you can describe it in words if you want to) Similar to Indian/Brazilian slums
Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?: Welfare was canceled after Juan Crajito of the Marxist-Leninist Asturian Party overthrew the Democratic Socialist Party
If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?: N/A
What is the typical health of a poor citizen?: Malnourished, prone to illness
What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?: Hunger, undernourishment, and disease

[Tolmakia]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?: Developed
What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?: Around 5% *last recorded 2012)
What would a poor neighborhood look like?:(You can use a photo, but you can describe it in words if you want to) Wooden houses in deteriorating condition, or old dwellings that are in fair condition
Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?: Yes
If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?: Almost 100%
What is the typical health of a poor citizen?: Fairly good
What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?: Wealth gaps

[Neo-Coriolanus]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?: Developed.
What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?: 65%. (All Plebeians are considered to be in poverty).
What would a poor neighborhood look like?: Not too differently to what the other neighbourhoods look like, it's who lives in them, and what they own that's different.
Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?: Yes.
If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?: 5%.
What is the typical health of a poor citizen?: Good, we have universal healthcare.
What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?: Crime is higher, the Imperial Guard cares less about what happens in those areas.

[South Yardlin]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?: We're as developed as we need to be.

What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?: About 37%

What would a poor neighborhood look like?: At it's worst, it can be comparable to Nigerian slums.

Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?: No

What is the typical health of a poor citizen?: Depends

What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?: Typical poverty issues

[Umbrae Lunares]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?

Any answer would be misleading. Thoughtform colonies do not utilize much technology, and require none at all to function properly. Thus our citizens have a high standard of living despite the lack of advanced technological industry or infrastructure. The natural abilities of our species, especially the constructors, easily make up the difference.

What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?

The concept of poverty is similarly difficult to translate. If poverty is defined as the lack of material possessions, every thoughtform lives in poverty at all times, since our species views all forms of possession as temporary and do not consider ourselves to permanently own anything. We only use, we do not keep. If poverty is defined as the inability to sustain oneself, it is almost unheard of. Though a thoughtform will quickly die if it cannot acquire any new information, learning enough to survive is fairly easy. Even if you cannot provide for yourself in this manner, colonies have a robust social safety net, and asking others to tell you something that they've learned for your own consumption is not looked down upon whatsoever. Generally speaking, a thoughtform will only perish in this fashion if it is purposefully prevented from learning anything by a malevolent entity, and this is not something we inflict on one another. If poverty is defined as economic inequality, it is again extremely rare. All thoughtforms have equal access to the modes of production (constructors) regardless of their success at their role. A lack of this kind would also have to be externally introduced, e.g. if a scout were cut off from its colony and prevented from reaching a constructor.

What would a poor neighborhood look like?

A colony that has less information at its disposal is smaller than one with more information at its disposal. The quality of thoughtform structures is nearly constant, since they are grown from the same base materials rather than built from parts of the environment, so when a colony acquires more information, it uses it to expand rather than improve. There is nothing to improve upon.

Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?

Yes. All production is centralized; constructors produce everything that could be defined as scarce by thoughtform standards (i.e. everything that requires raw data as a input). All castes other than scouts have access to this production despite failing to meaningfully contribute to it. Even scouts who cannot provide for themselves are allowed to "leech" off of fellow scouts without negative judgment. The exception to this would be if a thoughtform were to consistently fail at its role in such a way that indicated gross incompetence or a lack of work ethic. Scouts who never bring back anything are, of course, not allowed to continue living off the resources of others. However, since such persons are promptly executed, this tends to be a moot point.

If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?

Around forty-five percent of the population. Forty percent belong to castes other than scout, and thus live on welfare as a matter of course. The other five percent are scouts who have hit a string of bad luck, and haven't been able to find any entity with an information density sufficient to sustain them.

What is the typical health of a poor citizen?

Repairing injuries of existing thoughtforms is the highest good that new information can be put to, so the health of all citizens within a colony is a function of how recently they've been repaired, rather than how much information their colony has. How often one is repaired is a matter of personality. Some thoughtforms don't mind getting bruised or cut up, while others can't stand letting a scratch on their bodies go unmended. Either way, all thoughtforms are considered to have the right to be in pristine condition at all times; anything less than this is a personal choice on the part of the individual, and not something that is forced upon them by scarcity.

What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?

Colonies with less information have the most to fear from their neighbors, who will happily invade and assimilate their population if the opportunity presents itself. While invading colonies will purposefully avoid killing their targets, the process of integrating them into their own civilization is traumatic, and the existing social structures of the weaker colony are usually upset beyond repair during the invasion.

[Brellach]

Is your nation developed, or under-developed?:
By the standards of the world-at-large, the Holy Queendom would be considered under-developed. For the Brellachi, however, it is exactly as developed as it needs to be.

The primary reason for Brellach scoring poorly in such metrics as 'income equality' and 'poverty' is not that great swathes of its population are neglected, but rather that some 60% of the population has elected to remain outside of society, as members of nomadic, hunter-gatherer tribes. These tribes do not participate in the economy of Brellach - they earn no wages, pay no taxes, have no money, and use no public services. They live in the wilds of Brellach, rarely interacting with city-dwellers, and their ancient way of life is protected by national law.

The remaining 40% of Brellachi live in and around numerous towns and cities that dot the landscape. Protecting the environment is a spiritual obligation for the Brellachi, making heavy industry all-but non-existent there, and so most people are found working in the agricultural and service industries. Unemployment is low, and the Church of Her Divine Glory takes care of any who find themselves without an income.

What is the percentage of citizens living in poverty in your nation?:
By international standards, over 60%. But the Brellachi government does not include tribals in their analyses, which produces a much lower figure of 9%. It should be noted that due to the nature of Brellach and its decidedly 'low-tech' society, poverty is measured differently than it might be elsewhere.

What would a poor neighborhood look like?:(You can use a photo, but you can describe it in words if you want to)
Tribes live in the countryside, and have no 'neighbourhoods'. Houses in the settlements differ wildly across the island, though there are some basic similarities. 'Poor' neighbourhoods are uncommon; greed and extravagance isn't common, and so settlements tend not to have significantly 'rich' or 'poor' areas. The richest members of society are typically farm or family business owners, but they tend to donate their excess funds to the Church rather than horde it or spend it on larger houses than they need.

Is there welfare or something similar in your nation?:
Tribes are left to their own devices. Within society, traditionally it has been the responsibility of the Church of Her Divine Glory to provide food, clothing, and shelter to people who have found themselves without an income, until they can get back on their feet. The government will help the Church with this in times of crisis. Taxes in Brellach have been historically low, but under Queen Lyta a new spending drive with the intention of building a 'socialised health system' has commenced, which is the first time the state has involved itself in welfare provision directly.

If the question above is answered with a yes, how many citizens are on welfare?:
The Church records that only a thousand or two Brellachi citizens have needed help to survive at any single point since records began. It is more common for impoverished individuals to be supported by their family or friends. During times of crisis, such as during droughts or other calamities that have an impact on people's income, this number can rise sharply, and the government will help the Church with funding.

What is the typical health of a poor citizen?:
Tribals are believed to lead remarkably healthy, though often comparatively shorter, lives; they have active lifestyles, and consume only natural foods. That said, they are vulnerable to disease and injury, for they refuse to avail themselves of modern healthcare services. Exact figures are difficult to come by, as they do not participate in any efforts to gather data on them, and the government is not able to monitor them.

The poor from society who are aided by the Church are usually quite healthy. The Church notes that mental health problems are often common among those they aid, either because of the trauma of losing one's livelihood or simply because people with existing mental health problems are more likely to need aid. Priests will often try to combat this with spiritual guidance, but they are known to pay for the services of professional psychologists in cases beyond their skills.

What is a common problem in poor parts of your nation?:
Infant mortality is believed to be higher among tribals, but as with everything else relating to them, exact figures are impossible to come by. As mentioned above, mental health problems are common among poor city-dwellers.