Facing Hunger: The Weight of the Pandemic Is Falling on American Families
As we enter the holiday season, millions of American families with young children are feeling the weight of the economic effects of the pandemic. Many are struggling to afford food and are being forced to decide which basic needs they will pay for and which they will go without. The following are some of their voices.
What do our data show about the prevalence of hunger?
Hunger among American families did not arrive with the pandemic; it is a longstanding problem with a prevalence that might surprise those unfamiliar with the topic. For example, 11% of all individuals in a 2019 general population survey reported experiencing hunger. In the same survey, significantly higher rates of hunger were reported among Black and Latinx-headed households, single-parent households, and lower income households.
It is also important to acknowledge that hunger in America will not vanish once a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes widely available and the coronavirus is under control. Rather, hunger is a longstanding issue with deep systemic roots that will continue to require the attention of policymakers long after the end of the pandemic.
Nevertheless, there is extensive evidence that since the beginning of the pandemic families are experiencing unprecedented levels of financial and material hardship.
It is estimated that one in six Americans — 54 million — have experienced hunger at some point during the pandemic.
As such, it is important understand how hunger is affecting families with young children. In order to examine this issue, we asked parents in our RAPID nationally representative survey of households a set of questions that were developed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA):
The food that we bought just didn’t last, and we didn’t have money to get more.
We couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals.
Did you or other adult in your household ever cut the size of your meal or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food?
Did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn’t enough money for food?
Were you ever hungry but didn’t eat because there wasn’t enough money for food?
Overall, our data show that hunger [1] was already a problem for many families with young children before the pandemic, with one in five parents in our survey reporting that hunger was an issue in their household pre-pandemic. This number is substantially higher than the total of 6.5% of children across age groups that was reported in the aforementioned 2019 survey. Although we cannot be certain of the reasons for this difference, the discrepancy between prior surveys of children 0–18 and our survey of children in the more limited range of birth-age five suggests that households with young children may be especially vulnerable to issues of food insecurity.
Our data further reveal that hunger has increased significantly during the pandemic — 28% of parents in our survey now report being food insecure.
Not surprisingly, rates of hunger are much higher for families at or below 1.5 times the federal poverty income guidelines for family size — 49% of these families are currently experiencing hunger. However, hunger has also increased significantly for families that were middle/upper income before the pandemic, increasing from 13% to 20%.
Hunger is significantly higher for Black and Latinx households in our survey than for White households (39%, 33%, and 25%, respectively). It is also higher in single-parent households than in dual-parent households (43% vs. 26%), and in households with a child with special needs relative to others (42% vs. 26%).
As with the overall rates of hunger among those in our survey, the rates of hunger in the above subgroups are higher than in surveys that have examined children 0–18 years of age. The elevated rates in these subgroups points to structural racism and social inequalities.
Food insecurity is affecting both child and parent well-being
In terms of child well-being, caregivers in families experiencing hunger reported significantly higher levels of children’s emotional distress, compared to those not experiencing hunger. Caregivers in families experiencing hunger also reported significantly higher levels of both fussiness/defiance and fear/anxiety in their children.
In terms of their own well-being, caregivers in families experiencing hunger reported significantly higher levels of overall emotional distress. They also reported significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and stress, compared to caregivers in families not experiencing hunger.
As we have reported previously, hunger is causing a “chain reaction of hardship.” In our longitudinal data, families who meet the USDA cutoff for food insecurity subsequently report increases in adult distress, which is in turn driving increases in children’s emotional distress across weeks of the survey.
As developmental scientists and child advocates, we know that hunger and the distress it causes are unhealthy, and have the potential to lead to lasting impacts on child physical health and emotional well-being. This is unacceptable, especially since it can be prevented through policy actions that provide families with cash to buy food, and with public assistance programs such as pandemic SNAP to purchase food.
Just because many policy makers have never had to deal with being unable to afford childcare or worrying about access to high quality food or transportation, or choosing between affording rent or medical care, doesn’t mean these problems don’t exist. There is no way any parent who is dealing with this pandemic head on can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” We need systems at a state or federal level in place, not just individuals in a community who care.
Oregon parent
We are having issues making sure bills are paid. We have had to choose between food, vehicle, or internet for my job.
Tennessee parent
We are running low on food. I got paid last week. That was enough to cover my bills. We have a low, low budget for food and are looking for food pantries.
New York parent
I have $150 left to pay bills and buy food for a family of five for the next two weeks.
Mississippi parent
There are a lot of places money needs to go and the pandemic has decreased what is coming in. However, the amount needing to go out has not decreased! Food prices are going up and cheaper options are not always available.
Kansas parent
We are losing our SNAP benefits at the end of the month. They have been a huge support. I am concerned for what this will mean for our food in the future.
Ohio parent
We’re constantly running out of diapers, wipes, and food. Our rent has been late twice now and it’s actually still not paid for this month since I didn’t get my Families First stimulus check which is only $277 a month… that doesn’t last long.
Tennessee parent
The cost of food is insane.
Florida parent
Food goes so quickly. My son’s school offers free lunch but it’s during his school hours and he can’t be left at home alone so I can go get the lunch.
Arizona parent
Most of the time we have just enough money to pay all the bills and have enough left over for food for the month. If my partner works a lot of overtime, we don’t really struggle, but on months that he does not get much overtime, we hurt.
Oklahoma parent
In two weeks, the free lunch program that our local school runs will stop. The lunch program helped keep food in the house for my son to eat. When it ends for us, I am not sure what the future holds. I relied on it too much.
Ohio parent
We are struggling to pay rent and food. Often I have to pull from our credit cards to make ends meet.
California parent
We are worried about having enough food to feed all of our children 3 meals a day.
Rhode Island parent
Recommendations
The primary responsibility for addressing hunger and other forms of financial hardship associated with the pandemic falls to policy makers.
Policy makers must listen to the voices of families with young children, some of which are represented here, and fulfill their moral and ethical role as elected and appointed leaders. They cannot continue to ignore the weight that families are bearing.
Especially in light of the months that have passed since the CARES Act that provided pandemic relief and protections to millions of Americans expired, it is essential that federal policy makers invest in a package of financial supports for households with young children, and that state and local governments expedite the delivery of relief to families in need with the utmost haste.
Ultimately, these issues transcend the pandemic — they were present before and will remain after the virus is under control. Nevertheless, as with many other issues, the pandemic has amplified issues of hunger in all families and exacerbated preexisting disparities across racial/ethnic and income groups. Because of this, the general public must hold policy makers accountable and demand that they provide the supports necessary so that no families in this country face hunger.
In addition, as we press for policy makers to attend to these critical issues, those with the means to do so may wish to take individual action. Tuesday, December 1st is Giving Tuesday, a day of global generosity intended to transform communities in positive ways. There are many ways to help support those in need during this time. One of the most straightforward is to donate to your local food bank. Resources for doing so can be found at the website of the national non-profit organization Feeding America.
[1] Note: We define hunger based on a USDA-established cutoff score on the above questions.
Additional Readings
“Hunger in America,” Feeding America.
“The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in 2020,” Feeding America.
“Reframing Hunger in America,” FrameWorks Institute.
“Household Food Security in the United States in 2019,” USDA.
“The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Straining Families’ Abilities to Afford Basic Needs,” Urban Institute.
“Food Insecurity In The U.S. By The Numbers,” NPR.
“A Hardship Chain Reaction,” Center for Translational Neuroscience.
Suggested citation
Center for Translational Neuroscience (2020, December 1). Facing Hunger: The Weight of the Pandemic Is Falling on American Families. Medium. https://medium.com/rapid-ec-project/facing-hunger-the-weight-of-the-pandemic-is-falling-on-american-families-1cbeb047a955.