Like many families across the globe, Israeli families have been facing the challenges of raising children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only do Israeli families have to adjust to large changes in their child(ren)’s schooling, but they are also forced to cope with the financial shocks, such as job and/or income loss that come with […]
Category: Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19
The Far-Reaching Impacts of COVID-19 on the Financial Lives of Israelis – Differences by Religion and Ethnicity
Press Release: October 25, 2020 With a COVID-19 death toll exceeding 2,000, Israel now has one of the highest per capita deaths in the world. Feelings of frustration and despair have resulted in the largest anti-government demonstrations since the establishment of the country, emphasizing that a central crisis during the COVID-19 is a growing divide […]
Three reasons young Israeli adults may face catastrophic, long-term financial burden from COVID-19
Press Release: September 25, 2020 The potentially catastrophic, long-term financial impacts of COVID-19 on young adults are highlighted in the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey[1] in Israel, which was administered between June 4 and July 1 by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis in partnership with Mastercard. The survey results found […]
Women in St. Louis worry about their careers as they step back to care for their families (Links to an external site)
St. Louis Public Radio highlighted survey results from Social Policy Institute’s Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in the U.S. to elevate evidence that child care concerns are driving job losses and the ability to return to work during the pandemic. Atia Thurman, associate director from the Clark-Fox Policy Institute at Washington University added commentary about policy solutions.
Sustainable finance addresses social justice as COVID-19 raises the stakes (Links to an external site)
S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global, cited Social Policy Institute findings related to COVID-19 and housing hardships in the U.S.
Secular, ultra-Orthodox and Arab should spend NIS 2,000 – who will have a harder time? (Links to an external site)
Results from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel about ethnic and racial disparities were featured in The Marker, an Israeli news outlet.
Most of those injured by the corona: ultra-Orthodox and Arab (Links to an external site)
Results from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel about ethnic and racial disparities were featured in Israel National News, an Israeli news outlet.
More Arabs and ultra-Orthodox will be unemployed or experiencing difficulties (Links to an external site)
Results from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel about ethnic and racial disparities were featured in Bizzness, an Israeli news outlet.
Research: 25% of ultra-Orthodox have difficulty making payments; 28% – food insecurity (Links to an external site)
Results from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel about food insecurity were featured in Jewish Daily News, an Israeli news outlet.
Research: The Arabs and the ultra-Orthodox were hit harder by the economic crisis. (Links to an external site)
Results from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel were featured in Ice, an Israeli news outlet.
An epidemic of food insecurity in Israel (Links to an external site)
Davar Today, a newspaper in Israel, interviewed Michal Grinstein-Weiss about the impact of COVID-19 on food insecurity in Israel. The data presented is based on the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in Israel.
Emergency savings are a potential lifeline for households in financial distress due to COVID-19
Many U.S. households have lost a job and/or income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These types of losses can influence an individual’s level of life satisfaction and thus, their overall health and well-being. One possible strategy to mitigate the impacts of economic volatility for U.S. individuals and households is to build a rainy-day fund. A […]
Hardship is greatest among vulnerable Israelis already struggling financially
By: Olga Kondratjeva, data analyst III, Social Policy Institute; Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director, Social Policy Institute; Talia Schwartz-Tayri, researcher, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; John Gal, professor, The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; senior researcher, the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel; & Stephen Roll, […]
Research found 16% of job loss or layoffs reported payment difficulties
The story below is a translation from an article printed in Hebrew in Israel Today, the largest newspaper in Israel, on Oct. 5, 2020. A new study published here for the first time examined the effect of the first lockdown on households using 2,300 Israelis from June 4 to early July. The data show that […]
The world will no longer belong to the young: 18 – 39-year-olds were financially affected the worst from the Coronavirus
This story was written by Tali Heruti-Sover and originally published on Oct. 1, 2020 in The Marker in Israel. According to a study conducted by Prof. Michal Grinstein-Weiss at the beginning of the crisis, young people, generations Y and Z, suffer from high unemployment, have difficulty providing basic needs for themselves and their debts are large
Safe, affordable child care is a right, not a privilege
As the United States nears the seventh month of weathering COVID-19’s impact, it has become clear that the economy will not recover simply by encouraging businesses to re-open or consumers to keep shopping. Working adults with children are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and will continue to struggle without stronger federal and state support for child care.
Coping with COVID-19: Implications of Differences in Resilience across Racial Groups for Mental Health and Well-being
Data obtained from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey indicate that, despite extreme income and health disparities before and during the COVID-19 outbreak, Black and Hispanic people remain more resilient and optimistic than their white counterparts.
Michal Grinstein-Weiss and Marla Blow: Masks aren’t the only answer to keeping workers safe (Links to an external site)
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director, SPI, and Marla Blow, vice president, Center for Inclusive Growth, co-author an op-ed highlighting the need for better workplace policies to mitigate exposure to COVID-19. “By addressing longstanding inequalities that have undervalued essential workers, these measures would ensure that no one is put in a position of choosing health over a paycheck.”
Covid-19: Time to look at where we are going (Links to an external site)
SPI research about job loss is featured in this article on BizNews in which Alan Whiteside, OBE, Chair of Global Health Policy, BSIA, Waterloo, Canada & Professor Emeritus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, looks at the long-term impact of COVID-19.
Did CARES Act benefits reach vulnerable Americans? Evidence from a national survey (Links to an external site)
It’s not enough to simply offer COVID-19 relief, policymakers must also simplify how households access payments or pair payments with funding support for government agencies facing increased demands.
Quarantine Envy Got You Down? You’re Not Alone (Links to an external site)
Some groups may also be better than others at resisting envy. A recent Brookings Institution study showed that African-American and Hispanic people, especially those with low incomes, remained more optimistic than their white counterparts, despite facing physical and economic challenges from the pandemic.
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Stephen Roll and Olga Kondratjeva receive grant for COVID-19 research in Israel (Links to an external site)
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI and principal investigator, and Olga Kondratjeva, postdoctoral research assistant at SPI, were awarded a grant from McDonnell Academy to examine the economic impacts of and policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Low-income households falling further behind on student debt due to COVID-19 (Links to an external site)
COVID-19 is widening the achievement gap (Links to an external site)
Parents shouldn’t have to choose between their children’s’ health and their academic success—between surviving and thriving. While the choice to attend school in-person or virtually may ultimately be up to parents in some cases, we should ensure that both options allow for academic success—especially for the most vulnerable learners.
The demographics of racial inequality in the United States (Links to an external site)
The numbers provided here only scratch the surface of the realities of racial inequality in the United States. As we begin to reimagine policing, dismantle systems of oppression, and reinvest resources into Black communities, we must use these numbers to help guide us.
Experts Warn of Potential Housing Crisis When Eviction Moratorium Lifted (Links to an external site)
In an interview with NBC 6, Michal Grinstein-Weiss discussed the housing crisis and looming evictions. She said, “We are already in a housing crisis in the U.S. and we were in one long before, and housing is really central for our people to recover from COVID-19.”
Pandemic boosts urgency of housing instability (Links to an external site)
The Columbian features SPI data in a story about housing hardship. “Nationally, a survey of low- to moderate-income households, conducted by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, found that individuals are facing increased hardships such as evictions, delayed rent or mortgage payments, or unexpected utility payments and home repairs during the pandemic.”
It’s about to get a lot worse (Links to an external site)
SPI faculty director, Mat Despard, was interviewed in this Axios story about evictions: “We should be very concerned about what’s going to happen in August and beyond.”
COVID-19 job and income loss leading to more hunger and financial hardship
Hispanic, low-income, and young individuals (between the ages of 18 and 24) had the highest rates of job and income loss compared to other racial/ethnic, income, and age groups.
Resilience in the face of a pandemic: COVID weighs unevenly across racial lines (Links to an external site)
Contrary to what we would have expected given the demography of disease incidence and other costs brought on by COVID-19, African Americans retain higher levels of resilience – more optimism and better mental health – than whites.
Well-being and mental health amid COVID-19: Differences in resilience across minorities and whites
Perhaps the most important of our findings, though, is the high levels of hope and resilience of African Americans and Hispanics (although less so) compared to whites, despite being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, both in terms of disease incidence and likelihood of being in essential jobs.
Event Replay: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Racial, Gender, and Generational Wealth Gaps
Below is a recording of the June 25, 2020 event, The Impact of COVID-19 on the Racial, Gender, and Generational Wealth Gaps, hosted by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University and the Center for Household Financial Stability at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. View Presentation Slides LEARN MORE: The Social Policy Institute […]
Opinion: Medicaid expansion is ‘no-brainer’ during COVID-19 pandemic (Links to an external site)
SPI Op-ed featured in the Missouri Times: It’s a no-brainer in a pandemic. A yes vote gives health coverage to well more than 270,000 people, saves rural hospitals from failure, and brings $1.6 billion in federal dollars into Missouri, creating jobs.
Medicaid expansion in Missouri – Needed now more than ever
On May 26, Governor Mike Parson announced the Medicaid Expansion Amendment would be moved up to the August 4, 2020 primary ballot. Despite the governor’s explanation of creating more time to budget the expansion, the move to an election with historically low voter turnout threatens the passage of the bill at a time when Medicaid […]
Gig work can be a lifeline, but it may be disappearing for those that need it
When you think of gig work—types of work where online apps and platforms allow workers to get paid for a range of services including ride-sharing, home repairs, art sales, and property rental—you might imagine a flexible job that enables anyone to earn income. If you have a reliable car and a smartphone, you can download […]
Material hardship among lower-income households: The role of liquid assets and place
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides substantial financial support to low-income workers, yet around a quarter of EITC payments are estimated to be erroneous or fraudulent. Beginning in 2017, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 requires the Internal Revenue Service to spend additional time processing early EITC claims, delaying the issuance of tax refunds. Leveraging unique data, we investigate how delayed tax refunds affected the experience of hardship and unsecured debt among EITC recipients. We find that early filers experienced increased food insecurity relative to later filers after the implementation of the refund delay.
Housing Hardships Reach Unprecedented Heights during the COVID-19 Pandemic
SPI research, published on Brookings Institution: Groundbreaking data from a new large-scale, nationally-representative survey of low- and moderate-income (LMI) households administered by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis in April of 2020 suggests that individuals have been facing increased housing hardship such as evictions, delayed rent or mortgage payments, and unexpected utility payments and home repairs during the pandemic.
Messaging matters when it comes to COVID-19 economic impact payments
The way policymakers and financial capability practitioners communicate about the CARES economic impact payments and other current or future payments may help guide households to use these benefits in the way best suited to their financial situation. This is important because while some households may use the CARES payments to pay down debt and other households may be fortunate enough to be able to save their payments, others will need these payments to simply make ends meet.