Not Enough to Eat: SEPTEMBER 2020 COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis

Contributing Economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach Northwestern University ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FRAC gratefully acknowledges sponsorship of this report from the General Mills Foundation, the Kellogg Company Fund, and PepsiCo.

Not Enough to Eat: Food Insecurity vs. Not Enough to Eat COVID-19 Deepens The measure investigated here — sometimes or often America’s Hunger Crisis not enough to eat — is a more severe measure than the concept of “food insecurity” Prior to COVID-19, even in the midst of a strong economy with a that is also tracked by USDA. record streak of job growth and low unemployment rates, in 2018 nearly 8 million (4 percent) American adults reported that members Food insecurity is a measure of their households sometimes or often did not have enough to eat. indicating that a family did not According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse have consistent, dependable Survey (collected April 23, 2020 through July 21, 2020), during access to enough food to live COVID-19, that number has surged to 26–29 million, or 11 percent of an active, healthy lifestyle. adults. Who are the hungry in America today? This report provides Food insecurity has not been a description of who didn’t have enough to eat. measured directly during COVID-19; using available data The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) widely used food we can estimate that food insecurity rate includes a range of those experiencing food insecurity is 25 percent for hardships, including those who lack enough money for food and adults overall, and 32 percent those who couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals. About 1 in 4 adults for those with children. are estimated to be food insecure during COVID-19. This report goes a step deeper to highlight the subset of this group who are Eleven percent of adults and 14 experiencing severe food insecurity, meaning they reported they percent of those with children sometimes or often didn’t have enough food (see sidebar). report that they sometimes or often don’t have enough Not surprising, groups that are most likely to not have enough to to eat during COVID-19. The eat are those that typically disproportionately experience poverty: share reporting they don’t Black and Latinx families, those with less than a college education, have enough to eat closely and children. Approximately 1 in 5 Black and Latinx adults report tracks with the share identified they do not have enough to eat. What is more surprising is the by USDA as having Very Low extent of hunger. It’s not just the poorest families who are facing this Food Security (VLFS), meaning struggle; among those who don’t have enough to eat, 1 in 4 have that the food intake of some usual incomes above $50,000 per year. During this crisis, many household members was have become unemployed, others who have kept their jobs have reduced and normal eating seen their earnings decrease due to reduced hours, and others patterns were disrupted due to are expecting to lose earnings in the next month. The economic lack of resources. shocks they have experienced have pushed many into hunger — potentially for the first time.

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 2 Research has already found that the following have Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps) benefits reduced hunger and other measures of food hardship: helped people and the economy, reducing food Payments from the new Pandemic Electronic Benefit insecurity and also stimulating the local economy.2 Transfer (P-EBT) program, which provides resources In the face of continued high rates of hunger, to families who lost access to free or reduced-price Congress should turn to these proven programs — school meals, lifted 2.7–3.9 million children out of continuing to provide P-EBT payments as long as hunger in the subsequent weeks1 since the pandemic schools aren’t following their normal schedules, and began; and evidence from the prior recession shows increasing maximum SNAP benefits by 15 percent. that increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Who Doesn’t Have Enough to Eat?

Each year, USDA collects a detailed survey on the food available during the past week. Overall, households’ experiences with food access, including between 10.2 and 11.0 percent of respondents asking respondents to choose which statement best report that they don’t have enough food. Rates are describes the food eaten in their homes in the last higher among those with children. In May and June, year: enough of the kinds of foods we want to eat; 13.6 percent of respondents with children said that enough, but not always the kinds of food we want; they didn’t have enough food. In July, that number sometimes not enough to eat; or often not enough to was 14.4 percent.3 eat. In 2018, 3.7 percent of respondents overall and with children reported that they sometimes or often Figure 1 also shows that the share reporting did not have enough to eat as shown in Figure 1. they don’t have enough to eat increases during economic recessions. In 2008, the first year of During COVID-19, the Census Bureau has been the Great Recession, the share without enough asking one question, drawn from the larger set to eat increased by just over one-third overall of annual USDA questions, in which respondents and for respondents with children compared with choose among the same options to describe the prior year. The COVID-19 recession has been

Figure 1. Share of Adults (Overall and With Children) Reporting Their Household Sometimes or Often Does Not Have Enough to Eat: 2005–2018 and May–July 2020

16.0%

12.0%

8.0% Respondents w/ Children

4.0% Respondents Overall often do not have enough to eat Percent reporting they sometimes or Percent 0.0% 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 May June July 2020 2020 2020

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 3 characterized by a larger and more rapid increase in unemployment rates than the Great Recession, More than 1 in 5 Black which explains some of the reasons why the rate of those reporting not enough to eat has spiked so high and Latinx adults with children in recent months. Of course, widespread closures of reported in July that they Black respondents more than three schools and child care centers that usually provide sometimes or often did not meals to children is also a contributing factor. times as likely as white and Asian have enough to eat. respondents who reported not The shares without enough to eat during COVID-19 having enough to eat. are disproportionately high among Black and more. For respondents with children, the rates are Latinx respondents — especially among those 21 percent (high school or less), 13 percent (some with children. As shown in Figure 2, more than 1 college) and 4 percent (college degree). Rates of in 5 Black and Latinx adults with children reported hunger are consistently high across all adult age in July that they sometimes or often did not have levels, and are lower among older adults. enough to eat. Note that even prior to COVID-19, in 2018 there were stark disparities across groups with The share reporting not enough to eat varies Black respondents more than three times as likely predictably by annual income — with rates much as white and Asian respondents who reported not higher among those with the lowest incomes. During having enough to eat. Every group has seen their COVID-19, 28 percent of those with usual incomes rates of hunger more than double between 2018 below $25,000 per year reported not having enough and today, with rates quadrupling among Latinx to eat (compared with 11 percent in 2018). The share respondents (overall and with children). Across every declines across groups of usual annual income but group, respondents with children in their homes are is still reasonably common among those with higher more likely to report that they don’t have enough to income levels — 1 in 4 of those reporting not having eat. A similar pattern holds across education levels enough to eat had usual incomes above $50,000 (not shown), with 16 percent lacking enough to eat per year. Although across the board every group among those with a high school diploma or less, experienced job losses during COVID-19, those with 10 percent among those with some college, and lower levels of usual income were more likely to lose 3 percent among those with a college degree or their jobs.

Figure 2. Share of Adults (Overall and With Children) Reporting Their Household Sometimes or Often Does Not Have Enough to Eat, by Race/Ethnicity: 2018 and July 2020

anel A. Respondents Overall anel . Respondents ith Children

25% 25% 23% 20% 20% 20% 19% 20% 17% 15% 15% 15%

10% 10% 9% 10% 9% 7% 7% 8% 6% 5% 4% 5% 5% 5%

do not have enough to eat 2% 2% do not have enough to eat 2% 2% 0% 0% White Black Latinx Asian Other White Black Latinx Asian Other Percent reporting they sometimes or often Percent Percent reporting they sometimes or often Percent Race Race 2018 July 2020 2018 July 2020

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 4 Figure 3. Share of Adults Overall Reporting Their Household Sometimes or Often Does Not Have Enough to Eat, by Usual Annual Income: 2018 and May–July 2020

30% 28 %

25%

20% 16 % 2018 15% 12 % 11 % COVID-19

10% 8 %

not enough to eat 8 % 4 % 5 % 5% 3 % 2 % 1 % 1 % Percent reporting sometimes or often Percent 0% $100,000+ $75,000– $50,000– $35,000– $25,000– $0– $99,999 $74,999 $49,999 $34,999 $24,999

Families Don’t Have Enough to Eat Figure 4. Economic Vulnerability During because of the COVID-19 Economy COVID-19

A deeper dive into the data shows how vast the Panel A. Percent Economically Vulnerable economic distress of COVID-19 has been — and how during COVID-19 closely it is tied to not having enough to eat. Panel 35% 31% A of Figure 4 shows the share of adults who have 30% 27% 26% become economically vulnerable during COVID-19. 25% 21% Twenty-one percent of adults report having become 20% unemployed themselves during COVID-19 — though 15% to be sure, some of those are expecting to be 10% recalled back to their old jobs when the situation 5% improves. Another 27 percent are workers “on the 0% Lost Worker Lost Worker edge”: while they themselves are working, they have own “on the own “on the job edge” job edge” either experienced a loss of income due to another Percent of people who lost their jobs Percent Adults Overall Adults w/ Children household member’s job loss, fewer hours worked or during COVID-19 or were “on the edge” other types of reductions, or expect to experience a Panel B. Share of Economically Vulnerable loss of job and/or income in the next month. Among ithout Enough to Eat workers on the edge, 90 percent report they have already experienced a loss of income, and half report 30% that they both have already lost income and still 25% 24% 21% expect to lose more. Those with children are more 20% likely to have lost a job, or to be an employed worker 14% 15% 13% on the edge. 10% Panel B of Figure 4 shows the rate of reporting not 5% enough to eat among those made economically 0% Lost Worker Lost Worker vulnerable during COVID-19. Overall, 21 percent of own “on the own “on the job edge” job edge” those who lost their jobs during COVID-19 report Adults Overall Adults w/ Children

not having enough to eat. Workers have not been of eceonomically vulnerable who Percent report sometimes or often not enough to eat

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 5 spared: 13 percent of those who are themselves of economic vulnerability — among those who either still working, but are on the edge due to household lost their own job, or lost or expect to lose household income losses, or who expected losses, report not income — by race and ethnicity. A majority of Black having enough to eat. and Latinx respondents have experienced economic vulnerability, with much higher rates than whites. As has consistently been the case throughout this Asian respondents and those in the “other race” analysis, those with children are worse off. Not category fall in between. Economic vulnerability only are they more likely to have experienced results in not having enough to eat at substantially job losses or income losses, but, conditional on higher rates for Black and Latinx respondents. experiencing these, they are more likely to not have Among the economically vulnerable, 28 percent of enough to eat. The impact on children is further Blacks, 22 percent of Latinx, and 21 percent of the compounded by children’s loss of meals in schools other race group report not having enough to eat and childcare sites. overall, with 29, 23, and 22 percent, respectively, Figure 4 shows the high rates of economic among those with children. Similar patterns hold vulnerability overall, but job losses have been higher across income level and education — with those for Black and Latinx households, as well as for those usually earning less or with lower levels of education with lower levels of education. Job losses have also losing jobs and incomes at higher rates, and with been higher in some service sectors, such as food economic vulnerability resulting in not having service and travel.4 Figure 5 separates the measures enough to eat at higher rates.

Figure 5. Economic Vulnerability During COVID-19, by Race/Ethnicity

Panel A. Percent Economically Vulnerable Panel B. Percent of the Economically Vulnerable during COVID-19, by Race/Ethnicity ithout Enough to Eat

70% 68% 35% 61% 62% 58% 29% 60% 55% 55% 30% 28% 52% 50% 51% 50% 25% 23% 42% 22% 21% 22% 40% 20% 13% 30% 15% 12% 12% 10% 20% 10% 10% 5%

“workers on the edge” “workers 0% 0% Adults Overall Adults w/ Children Adults Overall Adults w/ Children

Percent of adults who list jobs or are Percent Black Hispanic Other Race Black Hispanic Other Race

Asian White of eceonomically vulnerable who Percent Asian White report sometimes or often not enough to eat

Despite how stark these numbers are, they would impact of the economic shock; however, this is surely be worse if not for the historic relief efforts not enough. Too many have not received relief from Congress. Between topping up Unemployment payments adequate to weather the current Insurance benefits, providing Economic Impact economic storm, and Congress has not yet adopted Payments, creating P-EBT, and implementing smart or extended policies known to alleviate effectively reforms to SNAP, Congress took helpful steps food hardship — and do so in a targeted and at the beginning of the pandemic to buffer the temporary manner.5

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 6 Who Doesn’t Have Enough to Eat During COVID-19?

We have seen that Black and Latinx populations, and those with lower levels of education, are more In 21 states and the likely to not have enough to eat and have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 District of Columbia, more than economic shock. 1 in 10 adults overall report not having enough to eat. Figure 6 shows population characteristics of those without enough to eat during COVID-19. As shown in Panel A of Figure 6, 42 percent of those without Women disproportionately do not have enough to enough to eat are whites, followed by 27 percent eat, and have been more likely to lose their jobs Latinx, 22 percent Black, 3 percent Asian, and the during COVID-19. Of those without enough to eat, remainder comprising other races. As shown in 54 percent overall are women, and among those Panel B, 61 percent have an education level no with children who lack adequate food, 60 percent higher than a high school diploma, with 30 percent of them are women. Those age 60 or older without having some college, and 9 percent with a college enough to eat are also more likely to be women degree or more. As shown in Panel C, 44 percent (58 percent). have usual incomes less than $25,000 per year; In 21 states and the District of Columbia, more than 1 one-third have usual incomes between $25,000 and in 10 adults overall report not having enough to eat, $49,999, and 23 percent have usual incomes above as shown in Figure 7, Panel A. As always, rates are $50,000 — many of whom have seen large drops in worse for those with children. In 38 states and the their incomes at this time. District of Columbia, more than 1 in 10 adults with children say they don’t have enough to eat.

Figure 6. Characteristics of Those Without Enough to Eat

Panel A. Race/Ethnicity of Panel B. Education evel of Panel C. Usual Annual Income Those Without Enough to Eat Those Without Enough to Eat of Those Without Enough to Eat

3% 6% 9% 23%

27% 42% 30% 61% 44%

33% 22%

White Black Latinx <=HS Some College BA+ Asian Other $0 to $25K to $50K to $24.9K $49.9K $99.9K

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 7 Figure 7. Percent Reporting Not Enough to Eat, by State

Respondents Experiencing Hunger, Overall

8 WA 7 9 8 ME MT ND 9 6 VT 17 OR 7 6 MN 7 11 6 NH 16 ID 9 WI SD NY 8 10 7 MA 15 WY MI 7 9 9 RI 14 12 8 IA PA NV NE 10 13 10 10 OH 8 IN 10 CT UT 7 IL 11 9 12 CO WV 8 10 11 VA 10 NJ 11 KS 11 CA MO KY 11 9 DE 10 11 NC 11 TN 10 11 12 12 DC 9 AZ NM OK 12 AR SC 11 MD 8 17 12 12 GA 7 15 MS AL 14 LA 6 TX 8 AK 12 FL

8 HI

Respondents With Children Who Are Experiencing Hunger

10 WA 9 9 11 ME MT ND 13 7 VT 22 OR 10 9 MN 10 14 9 NH 20 ID 13 WI SD NY 11 13 9 MA 17 WY MI 10 13 15 RI 16 14 11 IA PA NV NE 14 15 14 14 OH 9 IN 13 CT UT 9 IL 15 11 14 CO WV 11 12 14 VA 13 NJ 15 KS 13 CA MO KY 15 12 DE 12 15 NC TN 14 15 14 22 DC 11 AZ NM OK 15 15 AR SC 10 16 MD 20 16 13 GA 9 20 MS AL 17 LA 8 TX 11 7 AK 17 6 FL

11 HI

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 8 Food is Key, but It’s About More than Food Those who report not having enough to eat are also or hopeless. Rates of bad mental health symptoms experiencing other aspects of economic turmoil. As among those without enough to eat are 20 to 30 shown in Figure 8 below, a majority of those without percentage points higher than those among the enough to eat say they expect to lose employment population overall. income in the next month. One-third say that they are not at all confident that they can make their In addition to being more likely to not have enough next housing payment, and nearly half are not at all to eat, others have found that death rates from confident that they can afford the food they need COVID-19 are higher for Black and Latinx people over the next month. More than one-third report that of all ages — with differences in death rates much they did not make their last housing payment. More higher for those at younger ages, including death than 80 percent of those without enough to eat rates 10 times higher among Black individuals reported experiencing bad mental health symptoms between the ages of 35 to 44 years old, and seven at least half of the days in the prior week, including times higher for those who are 45 to 54 years old. nervousness/anxiety, inability to stop worrying, little Rates for Latinx people are slightly lower than for interest in doing things, and feeling down, depressed Black people, but still well above white death rates.6

Figure 8. Widespread Economic Distress among Those Without Enough to Eat

80% 65% 68% 60% 48% 45% 38% 40% 33% 35% 36%

20%

0% Expect an HH job loss in the “Not at all” confident in “Not at all” confident that HH Didn’t pay last next 4 weeks due to COVID ability to pay mortgage will be able to aord the kinds mortgage/rent or rent of foods needed for the next 4 weeks Overall w/ Children

Conclusion During COVID-19, far too many Americans report Congress has a number of proven policies that it that they do not have enough to eat. This is not a can adopt to help struggling families get enough to problem limited to certain populations or regions. eat. In particular, increasing maximum SNAP benefits Approximately 1 in 5 Black and Latinx adults say they and extending the P-EBT program, which provides do not have enough to eat, as do 1 in 14 white and benefits to those who lost access to free or reduced- Asian adults. In the vast majority of states more than price school meals, are two of the most effective 7 1 in 10 adults with children don’t have enough to eat. food assistance policies. Congress should, without Most have been pushed into this state by job loss. delay, act to increase maximum SNAP benefits by 15 Many others are still employed, but have lost hours percent and extend P-EBT payments, so that fewer or earnings, as well as other supports, which have people in America will go without enough to eat. pushed them into hunger. Across the board, those with children are more likely to not have enough to eat.

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 9 Endnotes 1 Bauer, Lauren, Abigail Pitts, Krista Ruffini, and Diane Schanzenbach. “The Effect of Pandemic-EBT on Measures of Food Hardship,” Brookings Institution, July 30, 2020. https://www.brookings.edu/research/ the-effect-of-pandemic-ebt-on-measures-of-food-hardship/

2 Schanzenbach, Diane, Lauren Bauer, and Greg Nantz. “Twelve Facts about Food Insecurity and SNAP,” The Hamilton Project, Brookings Institution, April 2016. https://www.hamiltonproject.org/assets/files/twelve_ facts_about_food_insecurity_and_snap.pdf

3 Differences between May and June are not statistically significant, but July rates are statistically higher than those in May and June. The Census Household Pulse is collected online, while the annual survey typically is collected through a telephone survey. Research suggests that reported rates of food hardship are lower in surveys collected in person or via telephone compared to those collected online, possibly due to respondents’ social desirability bias when responding to a live interviewer (Karpman, Michael, Stephen Zuckerman, and Dulce Gonzalez. 2018. “The Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey: A New Data Source for Monitoring the Health and Well-Being of Individuals and Families.” Washington: Urban Institute).

4 Montenovo, Laura, Xuan Jiang, Felipe Lozano Rojas, Ian M. Schmutte, Kosali Simon, Bruce A. Weinberg, and Coady Wing. “Unequal Employment Impacts of COVID-19.” Econofact, June 1, 2020. https://econofact.org/ unequal-employment-impacts-of-covid-19

5 Bitler, Marianne, Hilary Hoynes, and Diane Schanzenbach. “The social safety net in the wake of COVID-19.” Forthcoming, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity.

6 “Race gaps in COVID-19 deaths are even bigger than they appear” by Tiffany Ford, Sarah Reber, and Richard V. Reeves, Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/06/16/race-gaps- in-covid-19-deaths-are-even-bigger-than-they-appear/

7 Hoynes and Schanzenbach argue for an automatic 15 percent increase in maximum SNAP benefits during recessions as an automatic stabilizer. See Hoynes, Hilary and Diane Schanzenbach, “Strengthening SNAP as an Automatic Stabilizer,” in Boushey, Heather, Ryan Nunn, and Jay Shambaugh, eds., Recession Ready: Fiscal Policies to Stabilize the American Economy. The Hamilton Project and Washington Center on Equitable Growth.

FRAC n Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis n www.FRAC.org 10