Income and food insecurity among SNAP recipients: a consideration of the SNAP benefit formula
Journal
European Review of Agricultural Economics
Journal Volume
51
Journal Issue
1
Start Page
157
End Page
184
ISSN
0165-1587
1464-3618
Date Issued
2023-11-27
Author(s)
Gundersen, Craig
Abstract
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has substantially reduced food insecurity in the USA, but almost half of the participants remain food insecure. We use the 2018 Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine the relationship between food insecurity and two components of benefit determination—gross income and deductions. For all SNAP recipients, in most specifications, gross income is inversely related to food insecurity, and deductions are positively correlated with food insecurity. When examining policy-relevant sub-categories, households with a senior or someone with a disability have positive associations between food insecurity and deductions, suggesting possible changes in benefit construction.
Subjects
food insecurity
food stamps
poverty
SIPP
SNAP
SDGs
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Type
journal article