Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, and Oren Heller, postdoctorate researcher, were interviewed by Ynet about a study on access to new vocational training in Israel.
Category: Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19
Is COVID-19 the spark for Palestinian violence spike? – three takes (Links to an external site)
The Jerusalem Post shares SPI findings that link quarantine to increased violent behavior in children in a discussion about surges in crime between Israelis and Palestinians.
People with disabilities were hit harder financially in Corona (Links to an external site)
CTech discusses a recent SPI study which found that almost half of all households with a person with disabilities suffered loss of income during the pandemic. Whereas employment rates for other households have increased, employment rates for households with a person with disabilities have not yet recovered.
Thousands continue to fly abroad, despite the obligation of isolation: “We must continue to live” (Links to an external site)
YNet shares results of a recent SPI study that show majority support for closing the Ben Guion Airport in Israel and increasing restrictions with the rise of the new COVID-19 variant.
The destabilizing cost of a pandemic: What COVID-19 meant for renters already getting assistance (Links to an external site)
Data from SPI’s survey on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 revealed the vulnerability of renters receiving federal assistance. The findings showed that low-income renters already receiving federal assistance are more likely to be evicted than low-income renters who do not receive federal support.
Food insecurity in Israel during the COVID-19 economic crisis: Prevalence and associations with children’s behaviors
Results from SPI’s Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel suggested a relationship between the pandemic and rising rates of food insecurity. To explore this, SPI launched another survey, with the results linking food insecurity to behavioral problems in children.
Towards a decision: Ministry of Health experts discuss a corona vaccine for children (Links to an external site)
Walla News discussed recent SPI findings which showed that, of 900 Israeli families, 40% were unwilling to vaccinate their children, with many citing fear that the vaccine would harm child development.
Pandemic isolation increasing negative behaviors among children in Israel
Isolation as a result of COVID-19 exposure is a key public health protocol to mitigate the spread of the virus; however, new survey results indicate increased isolations are associated with anger, violence, difficulties sleeping, and prolonged screen time.
Food insecurity surged with COVID-19, harming Israel’s children most (Links to an external site)
The Jerusalem Post shared SPI findings that 17% of Israeli families suffer from food insecurity, negatively impacting the physical and mental health of Israeli children.
New longitudinal Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey calls for sustained public benefit support
The Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis (SPI) released new findings on the impact of COVID-19 on housing hardship, the importance of employment and associated benefits, such as the Payment Protection Program, family hardships, and efficiency of public benefits designed to support households in need, such as SNAP, TANF, and unemployment insurance benefits.
Why are 11% of Israelis still not vaccinated?
A new nationally representative survey from the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis (SPI) indicates that among the 11% of Israelis who are not vaccinated, 75% do not plan to get vaccinated.
Channel 13 shares parental vaccine hesitancy results (Links to an external site)
Channel 13 in Israel shared SPI research findings on why parents of 12-15-year-olds are hesitant to vaccinate their children. You can read the research results in English here.
A Fifth of Israelis Think COVID Is a Government, Pharma Conspiracy, Poll Says (Links to an external site)
Haaretz discusses a recent finding from the Social Policy Institute that shows that a fifth of Israelis believe that the vaccine is a government or pharma conspiracy.
20% of Israelis: The corona is a conspiracy of governments and pharmaceutical companies (Links to an external site)
The Marker covered our latest findings that 20% of Israelis believe that COVID-19 is a conspiracy by governments and pharmaceutical companies. These findings are the latest results from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 in Israel. Hebrew title: 20% מהישראלים: הקורונה היא קנוניה של ממשלות וחברות תרופות
Only half of Israelis want a third COVID-19 vaccine shot – Survey (Links to an external site)
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, was interviewed by the Jerusalem Post about research findings that only 52% of Israelis who received the original vaccine would take a third shot. This finding comes from the latest data from SPI on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 in Israel.
Rewriting the social contract (Links to an external site)
Mathieu Despard, faculty director at SPI, discusses how workplaces have innovated with their benefits over the course of the pandemic.
The Majority Report with Sam Seder (Links to an external site)
Stephen Roll, SPI assistant research professor, was interviewed by Sam Seder about his research on the impacts of student debt forgiveness on households. This content is only available to peacock.tv subscribers (ep 65).
The debate that divides parents and experts – should children be vaccinated against corona? (Links to an external site)
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, was interviewed on television by N12 about children’s vaccination rates. Recent research from the Socioeconomic Impact of the COVID-19 Survey based in Israel found that even though 90% of respondents were vaccinated, only 40% of them expressed the desire to vaccinate their children.
Researchers keep international COVID-19 projects moving forward (Links to an external site)
Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Michal Grintsein-Weiss, director of the Social Policy Institute, discusses SPI’s continued valuable international research partnerships throughout the pandemic.
Student debt forgiveness would impact nearly every aspect of people’s lives (Links to an external site)
With recent calls for student loan debt forgiveness by political leaders, SPI researchers investigated how debt relief could impact household spending and behaviors. Brooking Institute published recent findings on the implications for debt forgiveness on household economic stability and mobility.
SPI researchers win awards for paper at ACCI Conference & VentureCafe STL Fellowship
Stephen Roll and Mathieu Despard, researchers at SPI, recently received the CFP© Board’s ACCI Financial Planning Paper Award for their paper on income loss and financial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The award is given to a well-written paper that focuses on important financial planning issues which can be used by consumers, financial planning professionals, and policymakers […]
Inequalities in housing hardship declined because everybody is now worse off (Links to an external site)
Over recent months, SPI researchers found that the disproportionate experiences of housing hardship have lessened, but only because everyone became worse off. They also have observe that Black families have become “long-haulers” when it comes to their experience of housing hardship.
How do Americans say they will use direct cash transfers? The answer depends on the frequency and the amount of the payment
From discussions of universal basic income in the 2020 presidential debates to repeated stimulus checks during the COVID-19 pandemic, government cash transfers have received a lot of attention recently. When considering a cash transfer program, policymakers usually have an objective in mind, such as reducing economic inequality, improving households’ ability to meet basic needs, or […]
Covid-19: Israel drops the mask, but the damage remains deeper (Links to an external site)
As Israeli students return to schools and Israel drops its national mask mandate, Ouest France reflects on how the first country in the world is starting to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Israel’s Schools Return to Normal on Sunday (Links to an external site)
Hamodia covers students return in-person to schools in Israel starting April 19th. They share recent findings that 1 in 5 children suffer from symptoms of anxiety from Michal Grinstein-Weiss as well as partners IDC Herzliya and Hebrew University.
After about 13 months of part-time studies, the education system will fully open tomorrow (Links to an external site)
Haaretz discusses findings by Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, as well as IDC Herzliya, and Rami Benvenisti of Hebrew University that one in five Israeli children currently show signs of anxiety as schools resume to full in-person learning.
Coronavirus: To vaccinate or not vaccinate children? (Links to an external site)
The Jerusalem post covered SPI research findings that less than half of vaccinated parents will also vaccinate their children. Israel is likely to be the first country to grapple with the ethics of whether vaccinating children to achieve herd immunity is worth the risk.
Research: One in five students in Israel suffers from anxiety symptoms due to COVID-19 (Links to an external site)
Haaretz covered SPI research discovery that the mental distress of the children in Israel increases the lower the parental income. When considering ethnic and religious groups, the lowest anxiety rates were recorded among the ultra-Orthodox.
Study: 1 in 5 Israeli kids have clinical anxiety symptoms amid a pandemic (Links to an external site)
SPI survey finds ultra-Orthodox children mostly unaffected and that a majority of kids had difficulties with online classes.
COVID-19 pandemic caused ‘mental crisis’ among Israeli youth (Links to an external site)
The Jerusalem Post discusses SPI research finding that Israeli children are experiencing a “mental crisis.” The report, based on a study conducted by Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, and Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya together with Prof. Rami Benvenisti of Hebrew University, showed that one in five children – 21% and three times more than before the coronavirus crisis – are suffering from symptoms of anxiety.
The Complete Financial Lives of Workers: A Holistic Exploration of Work and Public and Workplace Benefit Arrangements (Links to an external site)
What does a complete look at the financial lives of workers reveal? A new report from Aspen Consumer Insights Collaborative via Aspen Financial Security Program illustrates how work arrangements and benefits together determine if workers will have a reasonable shot at financial security. Learn how SPI’s research helped develop key insights in the report.
‘Like paying for a luxury car’: Childcare costs in Miami are holding families back (Links to an external site)
Even before the pandemic, South Florida working families struggled to find safe, affordable and convenient childcare. As seen through SPI’s data in the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 survey, the situation has worsened. While South Florida is vaccinating and emerging from restrictions, childcare remains a significant obstacle to upward mobility.
Israel’s COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout Is Slowing at a Critical Moment. That’s a Warning for the Rest of Us (Links to an external site)
What does vaccine hesitancy in Israel mean for the United States? Michal Grinstein-Weiss was interviewed by The Times on SPI’s Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 survey and how vaccine hesitancy in minority populations in Israel reflect many of the same characteristics of minority groups in the United States.
Comparing pandemic spending patterns in U.S. and Israel (Links to an external site)
The Source: A study from SPI finds Israel early on offered better social policies and income support to its struggling households than the United States.
Israelis Flocked to Get the COVID Vaccine, but Will They Vaccinate Their Children Too? (Links to an external site)
Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca are in advanced stages of trials for under-16s, and Israel’s coronavirus vaccination drive is set to expand. But recent SPI data indicates that parents may be less willing to get their children inoculated.
Childhood in the time of COVID (Links to an external site)
Save the Children shared results from the Social Policy Institute’s Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey were shared in a report on childhood hardship in the United States during the pandemic. Their report found that millions more children are going hungry, missing out on learning & falling into poverty.
Fear of safety and mistrust cause vaccine hesitancy in Israel
SPI asked respondents about their inclination to get a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as their perspectives toward the vaccine and pandemic overall. The results indicate certain religious groups are more hesitant to receive the vaccine than others, though the reasoning differs.
Food assistance (SNAP) recipients were disproportionately forced out by landlords during the pandemic
Previous analysis of the Social Policy Institute’s Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey found that Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) recipients were evicted at higher rates than households not getting TANF, and new analysis finds similar trends for households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds.
Cash assistance (TANF) recipients suffer the brunt of evictions despite the moratorium
New evidence from the Social Policy Institute’s multi-wave Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey shows that during the pandemic, TANF recipients were evicted at significantly higher rates than non-recipients, even when accounting for differences in demographics, income, assets, recent job loss, and how many months behind they are in rental payments.
COVID-19 School Meal Policies as Long-term Strategies to Fight Child Food Insecurity
In response to COVID-19 and the nationwide school closures that followed, the federal government passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Through these policies, the USDA was able to grant meal waivers to help schools and community organizations provide meals and snacks during COVID-related […]
The Babies in the River: Creating Equitable Safety Nets and Springboards to Opportunity
by Nisha G. Patel, Senior Fellow, SPI Some 25 years ago, I was a bright-eyed, young, graduate student at the Brown School and I learned the parable of the babies in the river. The townspeople in a village noticed that babies were beginning to appear in a river and were in danger of getting swept away by the current. Some people immediately jumped into the river, scooping up the babies to save them from drowning. […]
The first city in the world to have all its population vaccinated against corona (Links to an external site)
Interview with SPI director, Michal Grinstein-Weiss in Hebrew based on the Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 Survey in Israel. A return to almost-normalcy relies on the vast majority of Israelis over age 50 getting vaccinated for COVID-19, but it isn’t happening. New studies explain who isn’t getting the shot, and why.
There are three groups of Israelis who fear the vaccine. How can we change the image? (Links to an external site)
Interview with SPI director, Michal Grinstein-Weiss in Hebrew based on the Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 Survey in Israel. A return to almost-normalcy relies on the vast majority of Israelis over age 50 getting vaccinated for COVID-19, but it isn’t happening. New studies explain who isn’t getting the shot, and why.
Hundreds of Thousands of Israelis Have Said No to the COVID-19 Vaccine: Why Are They Waiting? (Links to an external site)
Interview with SPI director, Michal Grinstein-Weiss based on the Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 Survey in Israel. A return to almost-normalcy relies on the vast majority of Israelis over age 50 getting vaccinated for COVID-19, but it isn’t happening. New studies explain who isn’t getting the shot, and why
Channel Kan 11 interviews Michal Grinstein-Weiss about the vaccine in Israel (Links to an external site)
SPI director, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, was interviewed by Kan 11 about findings from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel related to the vaccine.
Fee payments to access COVID-19 relief funds threaten household financial security and economic recovery
The U.S. Senate signaled that it has the votes to pass a new $1.9 trillion stimulus through the budget reconciliation process on February 2, 2020. This means that a new round of COVID-19 relief payments is likely. These relief payments, which propose distributing $1,400 to qualifying adults, will be the third such payment offered since […]
Beyoncé and the NAACP Are Providing Housing Assistance Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic (Links to an external site)
Disparate housing hardship among Latinx and Black households, results from the Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 Survey, are featured in this article.
Study: Women with young kids vanishing from the workforce in Israel (Links to an external site)
Director, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, was interviewed by i24News.
Women with young children are disappearing from the Israeli workforce
Women with young children (0-14 years old) are twice as likely to experience unemployment as compared to men in the same situation, according to the longitudinal Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel, administered by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis.
Kids, Families and COVID-19: A report from Annie E. Casey Foundation (Links to an external site)
A Dec. 14, 2020 report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation features evidence from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey from SPI related to child care and working parents.