A new study by the Salvation Army finds that most Americans have conflicting views about the nature and causes of poverty in the United States, the NonProfit Times reports.

Based on an online survey of more than a thousand Americans, the report, Perceptions of Poverty: The Salvation Army's Report to America (8 pages, PDF), found that, on average, Americans believe the annual income which qualifies a family as poor is $18,500 — almost $4,600 less than the official federal poverty level of $23,050 for a family of four. Overall, survey respondents said that roughly one-third of the U.S. population lives in poverty, while the actual level, which varies with income and circumstances, is approximately 16 percent, or roughly 49 million people.

The survey also found that almost half of respondents believe that "a good work ethic is all you need to escape poverty," while 47 percent believe that if poor people received more assistance they would take advantage of it. At the same time, six in ten respondents said poverty is a trap some people can't escape, no matter how hard they try, while more than half believe it's impossible to eliminate poverty altogether and a vast majority believe people who are poor deserve help.