National surveys on CTC impacts

In order to understand the impact of the Child Tax Credit on American families, the Social Policy Institute released a nationally representative survey with a control group of non-eligible families and individuals. The first wave of the survey was July 8 and July 13, 2021—immediately before the first CTC payments were delivered. The second wave is currently planned for early January to understand how families utilized the credit over time, with results expected in early 2022.

Results from the first wave can be found in this report released in September 2021. The purpose of this report is to analyze the impact of the CTC on families and to inform current proposals to make the credit permanent. In the summary report, we focus specifically on how families plan to use CTC payments and their initial perceptions of the expanded credit.

Results from the second wave can be found in this report published with the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings Institution in April 2022. This report covered the entirety of the monthly payments of the expanded tax credit and found that families had improved nutrition, decreased reliance on high-risk financial services, and made long-term educational investments for both parents and children.