Of Pandemics, Policies and Culture Change: Family Economics and the Well-Being of Young Children
RAPID at UC Berkeley’s Center for Effective Global Action Psychology and Economics of Poverty Convening
Since April 2020, RAPID has measured material hardship by asking families if they are having difficulty paying for basic needs in one or more of several categories: food, housing, utilities, child care, healthcare, and well-being needs.
In December 2022 the rate of material hardship reached its highest level since we began collecting data. Since July 2022, the data also show an increase in the number of RAPID households reporting hardship in two, three, and even four categories of basic need.
This trend is particularly troubling as we approach the end of COVID-19 emergency declarations in May and many pandemic-era supports have been removed or rolled back.
