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Many of the kids are not alright: Material hardship among children in the United States

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  • Rodems, Richard
  • Shaefer, H. Luke

Abstract

The material well-being of children has profound implications for a variety of social and health outcomes. This paper provides estimates of the prevalence and intensity of material hardship among children by various demographic groups and reveals stark disparities by race and educational attainment. According to a pooled sample of the nationally-representative Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 36.5% of children lived in households reporting at least one form of material hardship, such as food insecurity, inability to pay essential household bills, inability to access medical care due to cost, or substandard and overcrowded housing. This is well above the proportion considered to be below the income poverty line (18.4%). Children were more likely to live in households experiencing material hardship than seniors.

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  • Rodems, Richard & Shaefer, H. Luke, 2020. "Many of the kids are not alright: Material hardship among children in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:112:y:2020:i:c:s0190740919310084
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104767
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    Cited by:

    1. Margaret M. C. Thomas, 2022. "Longitudinal Patterns of Material Hardship Among US Families," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 341-370, August.
    2. Elizabeth Doran & Nikki Aikens & Lizabeth Malone & Jeff Harrington & Judy Cannon, "undated". "Economic Conditions of Head Start Families: Connections with Social Supports and Child and Family Well-Being," Mathematica Policy Research Reports ca0d3ac3043a4048b06f5023c, Mathematica Policy Research.
    3. Gold, Sarah, 2020. "Is housing hardship associated with increased adolescent delinquent behaviors?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    4. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Katherine Michelmore & Nicole Kovski & H. Luke Shaefer, 2024. "The expanded Child Tax Credit and economic wellbeing of low-income families," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(4), pages 1-35, December.
    5. John Iceland & Arthur Sakamoto, 2022. "The Prevalence of Hardship by Race and Ethnicity in the USA, 1992–2019," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(5), pages 2001-2036, October.
    6. Comeau, Jinette & Duncan, Laura & Smith, Carrie & Smith-Carrier, Tracy & Georgiades, Katholiki & Wang, Li & Boyle, Michael H., 2021. "The joint association of family-level inadequate housing and neighbourhood-level antisocial behaviour with child mental health problems," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    7. Thomas, Margaret M.C. & Waldfogel, Jane, 2022. "What kind of “poverty” predicts CPS contact: Income, material hardship, and differences among racialized groups," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    8. Kess L. Ballentine, 2024. "“I'm Not the Kind of Person to Just Call Off”: Workers’ Experiences Navigating Structural Barriers to Paid Time Off," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 381-394, June.
    9. Gold, Sarah & Wagner, Brandon, 2022. "Acute care utilization and housing hardships in American children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    10. Kim, Jaeseung & Henly, Julia R., 2021. "Dynamics of child care subsidy use and material hardship," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    11. Sara Bernstein & Katie Gonzalez & Sharika Rakibullah & Lizabeth Malone & Jeffrey Harrington & AIAN FACES 2019 Workgroup, "undated". "Strengths and Stressors in Region XI Head Start: The Role of Social Support and Economic Condition in the Well-Being of Children and Families from AIAN FACES 2019," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 53981e570c0a4f1c89afb1a54, Mathematica Policy Research.
    12. Hembre, Erik & Collins, J. Michael & Wylde, Samuel, 2024. "A rising tide lifts all homes? Housing consumption trends for low-income households since the 1980s," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    13. Colleen Heflin & Hannah Patnaik, 2023. "Material Hardship and the Living Arrangements of Older Americans," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 267-284, June.
    14. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Brian A. Jacob & Elizabeth Rhodes & Katherine Richard & H. Luke Shaefer, 2023. "The COVID Cash Transfer Study: The Impacts of a One‐Time Unconditional Cash Transfer on the Well‐Being of Families Receiving SNAP in Twelve States," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(3), pages 771-795, June.

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