How Much Do They Make? A Systematic Review of Income Generated From Begging

Abstract

Panhandling income has not been well reviewed, though doing so would be beneficial for several reasons. Understanding beggar income may aid in addressing misconceptions about the activity, clarify the financial motivation for organized or forced begging, and allow for clearer comparisons to other kinds of shadow work like prostitution, binning, or selling drugs. This study presents a systematic review of panhandling income by using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis and PROSPERO guidelines to aid in identifying, screening, assessing, and including research that provides quantitative income information about panhandling. Income is adjusted for inflation, and international studies are converted to USD via standard exchange rate and via purchasing power parity values. Ultimately, 38 studies are included for final analysis. The 38 studies are divided into United States specific (n = 15) and all other countries (n = 23). In adjusted 2020 USD, the economic yield from panhandling is most often  $2–$16 per hour, $20–$60 per day, and $200–$500 per month, substantial variation exists. Economic comparisons to other forms of shadow work and future research directions are provided.