Do the poor adapt to low income, minimal education and ill-health?

We add to the small set of studies that investigate adaptation to low income among the poor and extend the analysis to education and health. In accordance with previous studies, we find that beliefs about the amounts of income necessary to get by and live well increase with both own household income and the incomes of proximate others. We also find a positive relationship between beliefs about education necessary to get by and live well and own education. However, people believe that more health is necessary to get by when a greater proportion of proximate others are ill or disabled.