Food insecurity in the United States has reached levels not seen during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Increases are concentrated among lower-educated and lower-income households and households with young children. More Americans report receiving food donations and skipping meals as prices for basic necessities rise. Cuts to SNAP enacted last summer remove food aid from hundreds of thousands of low-income children and millions of people overall. Among people skipping meals and relying on food banks, fewer respondents expect to be better off financially a year from now, and expectations decline rapidly. The rise in food insecurity aligns with deterioration in consumer sentiment despite indicators such as low unemployment.
"The researchers detailed their findings of “a remarkable increase in food insecurity, particularly among lower-educated and lower-income households and households with young children,” as well as “a contemporaneous increase in pessimism among the same groups, along with a sharp decline in job-finding expectations.”"
"The researchers cited new data showing increases in the percentage of Americans who reported receiving food donations and skipping meals in recent months, as prices for basic necessities rose. Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP) that Trump and congressional Republicans enacted last summer are also having an impact, stripping food aid from hundreds of thousands of low-income children and millions of people overall."
"Among those who reported skipping meals and relying on food banks, “there is a lower, and more rapidly declining, net share of respondents expecting to be better versus worse off financially a year from now,” despite some topline figures indicating a relatively strong economy (such as a low unemployment rate), the researchers observed."
"“This means that an increase in the incidence of food insecurity is associated with a deterioration in consumer sentiment,” they added."
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