This paper reports on attitudes toward welfare and poverty among male and female students at a university in rural eastern Kentucky. The area has high poverty rates and low educational and employment levels, particularly among women. A 60-statement survey covering a wide range of social issues was completed by 390 undergraduates. About two-thirds of respondents were women, 81 percent were under 25, about half were education majors, and about half came from the university's service region of eastern Kentucky counties. Among seven categories covered by the survey, the greatest gender differences in attitude were found for questions about race; welfare, work, and poverty; and politics. The results demonstrate that students drawn from a region of socioeconomic deprivation had a high resistance to welfare as a means of supporting poor families. Overall, there was considerable support for the government's efforts to move welfare recipients from welfare to work, but also skepticism about the availability of jobs and the remuneration received. Over half of students believed that the government has a role in alleviating suffering in this region. Women were generally more sympathetic to the plight of the poor than men. Although some females felt strongly that even mothers with small children should work, most respondents were concerned that welfare policies should not have adverse effects on children. (Contains 21 references.) (SV)