Economic Factors as Correlates of Streetism among Urban Children in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

The children working, living and surviving on the street is a global problem, affecting developed and developing countries alike. However, the magnitude of the problem varies, with less developed countries facing more acute problems. The street children are marginalised children who require enormous assistance but they are often least assisted in a society. There are many factors responsible for the increase in the rate of street children and this has necessitated this type of research. This study, therefore, investigated the economic factors as correlates of streetism among urban children in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design of the ex-post facto type. Five local governments were purposively selected in urban areas in Ibadan. The respondents selected randomly from each local government area were made up of 50 participants from five local governments, making a total of 250 participants. Questionnaire was the major instrument that was developed and used for the study. The questionnaire was divided into sections A and B. Section A was to elicit relevant general information from the respondents. While section B consisted of Twenty-Seven structured items. These include items on Streetism (r=0.7380) and Economic Factors (r=0.8139). Three research questions were answered. Data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment correlation and multiple regression statistics. The four variables have a joint positive multiple correlation with streetism (R=.396). The four independent variables also accounted for 14.3% of the variance of street children engage in streetism (Adjusted R2 =.143). Self-financed made the most significant contribution to streetism among urban children (?=.293; p<0.05), followed by Economic Pulling Factor (?=.155; p<0.05) and Parental caring attitude (?=.131; p<0.05). Family poverty levels made the least contribution. Streetism among urban children was predicted by self-financed (B=1.000, t=3.537; p<0.05), economic pulling factor (B=1.034, t=2.106; p<0.05) and family poverty levels (B=-.312; t=-2.451; p<0.05) The combination of economic factor variables (self-financed, economic pulling factor, parental caring attitude and family poverty levels) proved more effective at predicting streetism among urban children in Ibadan than when considered separately. Self-financed, economic pulling factor, parental caring attitude and family poverty levels are the most potent factors in explaining streetism among urban children. These factors should be taken into consideration in order to reduce the rate of street children in urban area in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria Keywords: Streetism, self-financed, economic pulling factor, parental caring attitude and family poverty levels