Financial Hardship and Household Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From the Panel Study of Income Dynamics

Abstract

Purpose Research has documented changes in food insecurity (FI) in the U.S. during COVID-19, including initial spikes and widening inequities followed by eventual declines. Yet a lack of representative longitudinal data has limited efforts to examine FI trajectories. Design We use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to examine household-level changes in U.S. FI status from pre-pandemic to pandemic periods, evaluate the relationship between experiencing pandemic-induced financial hardship (FH) and FI, and test for mediating and moderating effects of FH on FI. Setting United States. Sample The analytic sample includes 8097 adults from the 2019 and 2021 waves. Measures The outcomes are dichotomous measures of FI in 2019 (25%) and 2021 (22%) derived from the U.S. Food Security Survey Module. The independent variable is a dichotomous FH (22%) measure, measured in 2021. Analysis We charted the change in reporting FI from 2019 to 2021 using t-tests and identified which individuals in our sample had higher FI rates in 2021. Females (FI = 53%), Hispanic Americans (FI = 60%), single households (FI = 54%), and those with less than a college degree (FI = 52%) had higher FI in 2021. Using logistic regression techniques, we estimated the association between FH and FI in 2021. Results We find that pandemic FH is significantly associated with experiencing FI, even when controlling for relevant individual and household characteristics and pandemic experiences (OR = 4.83, P < .01). Black respondents who experienced a pandemic-induced FH were almost 3 times more likely to experience FI, while the odds of experiencing FI amidst an FH were lower among respondents who did not identify as Black (OR = 2.7). Conclusion The findings provide early evidence for the relevance – and unequal impact – of pandemic-induced FH on household FI throughout the pandemic.