Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree CH
(1871-1954)

Died aged c. 83

Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree, CH (7 July 1871 – 7 October 1954) was an English sociological researcher, social reformer and industrialist. He is known in particular for his three York studies of poverty conducted in 1899, 1935, and 1951. The first York study involved a comprehensive survey into the living conditions of the poor in York during which investigators visited every working class household, and his methodology inspired many subsequent researches in British empirical sociology. By strictly defining the concept of poverty in his studies, he was able to reveal that the poverty in York was more of structural rather than moral reasons, such as of low wages, which went against the traditionally held view that the poor were responsible for their own plight.

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