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Are College Students More Likely to Be Food Insecure than Nonstudents of Similar Ages?

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  • Craig Gundersen

Abstract

“College hunger” has received a great deal of attention in the media and on some campuses across the US. In this article, I consider the question: Are college students more likely to be food insecure than those of similar ages who are not in college? To answer this question, I use data from the 2014 to 2018 Current Population Survey (CPS), the data used for the official food insecurity rates in the US. Across many specifications, I find zero evidence that college students are at higher risk of food insecurity than nonstudents. This holds whether one looks at those between the ages of eighteen and twenty‐five or between twenty‐six and thirty; whether one looks at “person is a child of the respondent” or “person is not a child of the respondent”; or whether one looks at demographic categories. In fact, food insecurity rates are up to twice as high among nonstudents in comparison to full‐time college students.

Suggested Citation

  • Craig Gundersen, 2021. "Are College Students More Likely to Be Food Insecure than Nonstudents of Similar Ages?," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(4), pages 1476-1486, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:43:y:2021:i:4:p:1476-1486
    DOI: 10.1002/aepp.13110
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cassandra J Nikolaus & Brenna Ellison & Sharon M Nickols-Richardson, 2019. "Are estimates of food insecurity among college students accurate? Comparison of assessment protocols," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, April.
    2. Craig Gundersen & James P Ziliak, 2018. "Food Insecurity Research in the United States: Where We Have Been and Where We Need to Go," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 40(1), pages 119-135.
    3. Christopher Avery & Sarah Turner, 2012. "Student Loans: Do College Students Borrow Too Much--Or Not Enough?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(1), pages 165-192, Winter.
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    1. Craig Gundersen & Monica Hake & Adam Dewey & Emily Engelhard, 2021. "Food Insecurity during COVID‐19," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 153-161, March.

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