Households in the U.S. regularly experience unexpected negative income or expense shocks, and low- and moderate-income households experience these shocks at disproportionately high rates. Relatively little is known about the impact these shocks have on households’ subjective sense of financial well-being, and how access to different types of liquidity (e.g., liquid assets, credit cards, social […]
Tag: 2021
The Child Tax Credit could be Biden’s bipartisan silver bullet (Links to an external site)
Leah Hamilton, faculty affiliate at SPI, highlights the expanded child tax credit as a possible solution to helping families escape poverty in an article on Fortune.
Democrats are pushing for permanent monthly child tax credit payments. They might have to settle for a one-year extension. (Links to an external site)
CBS News discussed SPI findings on how parents are spending their child tax credit in a conversation about the future of the expansion of the payments.
Will The New Child Tax Credit Be Extended? Millions Of Families Anxiously Await Action (Links to an external site)
Forbes shares statistics from an SPI national survey about how parents plan to use their child tax credit while discussing the future of the payments.
Did government benefits help Israeli households avoid hardship during COVID-19? Evidence from a national survey
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Israel quickly introduced aggressive social distancing measures to curb the virus spread and adapted its unemployment insurance program in response to rising unemployment rates. This study examines the relationship between household income and the experience of material hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel and […]
U.S. Student Loan Forgiveness Proposals: Who Stands to Benefit? (Links to an external site)
Online Education interviewed Jason Jabbari, research assistant professor at SPI, on student loans and the impacts of student debt forgiveness.
Israel has to find solutions for its poor education results – opinion (Links to an external site)
The Jerusalem Post shared SPI research that 17% of families in Israel cannot afford the food they need, posing a risk to children’s physical and mental health.
Main Street Alliance: Wisconsin small biz supports enhanced child tax credit (Links to an external site)
WisBusiness interviewed Stephen Roll, research assistant professor at SPI, on the potential of the child tax credit expansion to bolster small businesses.
How Families are Spending the Expanded Child Tax Credit (Links to an external site)
Survey results from a report by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis show that families are using the child tax credit to care for their children.
Immigrant Parents Are Less Aware of Child Tax Credit Than US-Born Parents and More Likely to Plan to Use It to Invest in Education, Fill Gaps in Child Care and Health Care (Links to an external site)
The Tax Policy Center recently shared research from Laura Brugger, data analyst II of SPI, and Elaine Maag, principal research associate at the Urban Institute, on how immigrant families have accessed and used the Child Tax Credit.
Testimony: Joint Economic Committee Hearing on the Revenue Provisions of the Build Back Better Act (Links to an external site)
SPI’s recent research was shared at a Joint Economic Committee hearing. The research discussed how households with incomes under $25,000 are among the least likely to know about the expansion of the Child Tax Credit. Read the Tax Foundation’s transcript.
Opinion – The government wants to defeat the corona? Stop hiding information from the public (Links to an external site)
The Marker interviewed Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, on government mistrust and vaccine hesitancy.
How the expanded child tax credit is helping families (Links to an external site)
The Source interviewed Stephen Roll, assistant research professor at the Social Policy Institute, about an SPI survey on the variety of ways families are using the child tax credit.
New advisor for the Academic Research Council of CFPB (Links to an external site)
Mathieu Despard, faculty director of SPI, has been selected as an advisor to join the Academic Research Council of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
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.
15 Actionable Strategies to Embrace Inclusive Leadership
Speakers at the Inclusive Growth in St. Louis event series on Sept. 23 identified 15 strategies to proactively support and amplify diverse voices and perspectives as discussed by the speakers at the event.
Vaccine Incentives (Links to an external site)
Kan interviewed Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, about vaccine incentives.
The expanded child tax credit is working. Let’s make it permanent. (Links to an external site)
The Washington Post discusses SPI’s recent survey on the planned usage of the Child Tax Credit which suggests that the expansion helps families invest in their future.
Promoting Childhood Vaccination During the COVID-19 Pandemic
As schools start back up, many parents are concerned about the health effects of COVID-19 in children. However, childhood diseases beyond COVID-19 are still threats to children’s well-being. In the early stages of the pandemic, there was a large decrease in childhood vaccination rates for diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, measles and mumps.
Boosted Child Tax Credit May Be Getting More Parents Back to Work (Links to an external site)
The Ascent discusses the expansion of the Child Tax Credit and shares SPI research that suggests that the expanded payments help parents work more.
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.
Child Tax Credit Payments Are Helping Families Cope With the Child Care Crisis (Links to an external site)
Money shares new SPI data showing how families plan to use the expanded Child Tax Credit, suggesting that the expanded payments allow parents to return to work.
The new child tax credit does more than just cut poverty (Links to an external site)
A new SPI study published in Brookings shows how families plan to use the child tax credit and suggests that the expansion will not only help to decrease child poverty but will also increase family social mobility in the long term.
Expanded Child Tax Credit has caused big reductions in childhood poverty, but more action is needed (Links to an external site)
The Pulse shares a recent SPI survey which examines how families in North Carolina are using the expanded Child Tax Credit and showed that the families who need the tax credit the most are the least likely to have received it.
94% Of Parents Say Child Tax Credit Payments Allow Them To Work More, Study Shows (Links to an external site)
A collaborative study from the Social Policy Institute and Humanity Forward show that Child Tax Credit payments have allowed parents to work the same amount or more.
The child tax credit encourages parents to work, study finds (Links to an external site)
CNBC shares data from a team of researchers from SPI in collaboration with Appalachian State, UNC-Greensboro, the Urban Institute and Humanity Forward, which shows that the new enhanced Child Tax Credit may help parents continue working.
It’s Not Too Late: Georgia Families Can Still Get Their Checks (Links to an external site)
The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute shares data from the Social Policy Institute, which shows the impact of the Child Tax Credit on families in Georgia.
Employment, Financial and Well-being Effects of the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit: Wave 1 Executive Summary
The 2021 temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is unprecedented in its reach and is predicted to cut American child poverty by more than half. The expanded CTC provides families with $3,600 for every child in the household under the age of six and $3,000 for every child between the ages of six […]
Apply to become a Graduate Policy Scholar!
Applications for the Graduate Policy Scholar program are now open to all graduate students at Washington University in St. Louis! The Graduate Policy Scholar program provides students from all fields of study with impactful opportunities and training in policy. Offered by the Social Policy Institute and the Clark-Fox Policy Institute, the yearlong program provides students […]
Use of Public Benefits Over the First Year of Pandemic
In response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. federal government enacted initiatives designed to help households weather the pandemic’s effects. These initiatives included expansions of existing programs, such as unemployment insurance, as well as new programs like the economic impact payments. In this brief, we investigate the extent to which […]
Impact of COVID-19 on Households with Children
The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions in employment, child care and education. As a result, both parents and children experienced a variety of hardships in their work and education. While these hardships had reverberating effects throughout households, they were not equally distributed across families with children. In this brief, we explore the effects of COVID-19 […]
Employment Changes During COVID-19
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. unemployment peaked at 14.4%. While some workers have returned to payrolls, others have been left behind. This brief examines the nuances of employment changes over the course of the pandemic and the impact of those changes on household financial well-being. Our study finds that the proportion of employees who […]
Housing Hardships During COVID-19
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. households were burdened by the cost of rental and mortgage payments, burdens which disproportionately fell on Black and Hispanic families. Using a 5-wave survey, we examined whether disparities in housing cost burden continued throughout the pandemic and trends in how households fell behind on rent and mortgage payments. […]
Students who isolate are angry, violent and addicted to screens – survey (Links to an external site)
The Jerusalem Post shares survey results on how children in quarantine experience more outbursts of anger, expressions of violence, prolonged use of screens and reversals of sleep hours.
New study shows how Virginians are using the Child Tax Credit (Links to an external site)
The Augusta Free Press shared research which examined how Virginians are using their Child Tax Credit to care for their families from the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis in partnership with Annie E. Casey Foundation.
State-by-state: How are families in the U.S. using their Child Tax Credit payments?
The temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is projected to cut American child poverty by more than half. The CTC expansion provides families with $3,600 for every child in the household under the age of six and $3,000 for every child between the ages of six and 17. The vast majority of U.S. […]
How are families in the U.S. using their Child Tax Credit payments? A 50 state analysis
The temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is projected to cut American child poverty by more than half. The CTC expansion provides families with $3,600 for every child in the household under the age of six and $3,000 for every child between the ages of six and 17. The vast majority of U.S. […]
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.
Embracing Inclusive Leadership
Join us at 12:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 23 for an event discussing strategies to create inclusive leadership.
Interview on Isolation in Israel (Links to an external site)
Channel 13 interviewed Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, about the effect of isolation on children in Israel.
Food Insecurity (Links to an external site)
Galgalatz covered the results of a new SPI survey which examined the threat of food insecurity among families in Israel.
Outbursts of anger, sleep disturbances and screen addiction: this is how isolation affects children (Links to an external site)
The Marker shared a new study from SPI that found a link between child quarantine isolation and the development of symptoms of anxiety, violence and screen addiction, to which children from low socioeconomic households are more susceptible.
The game is not yet over, and vaccines still matter: Lessons from a study on Israel’s COVID-19 vaccination (Links to an external site)
In a new SPI study released through Brookings, researchers aimed to better understand vaccine hesitancy in Israel by examining demographic and socioeconomic factors correlating to vaccination.
The Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Study: Survey Methodology Report
When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and economic shutdowns began in March 2020, households across the United States were faced with an unprecedented crisis that would affect their health, financial security and overall well-being for an unforeseeable amount of time. In order to examine and track the wide-ranging impacts of the pandemic on households, as […]
Survey: Most families suffering from food insecurity are not recognized by the welfare authorities (Links to an external site)
Haaretz reports on a study from SPI which found that 17% of families in Israel are suffering from food insecurity due to the most recent wave of COVID-19.
“Take my word for it”: Group Texts and Testimonials Enhance State and Federal Student Aid Applications
As the cost of college continues to rise, it has become increasingly important for students to apply for financial aid. However, many students are unaware of the benefits of FAFSA. We launched a field experiment with a non-profit organization to explore the impact of text message interventions on FAFSA application rates. 2,236 potential students were […]
Pinching pennies or money to burn? The role of grit in financial behaviors
We explore whether gritty individuals are better savers by virtue of their wealth or due to diligent choices that benefit their long-term economic health. We test these competing hypotheses by examining the ways in which grit influences how LMI tax filers report spending or saving their tax refund in the months following tax filing. We […]
More than 90% of the students attended the educational institutions on the first day of school (Links to an external site)
Haaretz shared the latest SPI vaccination data as Israeli children return to school.
COVID-19 safety in schools (Links to an external site)
Channel 12 shared a recent SPI survey that 52% of parents said they did not feel safe sending their children back to school in August.
Can students be safe in school when COVID-19 spikes? (Links to an external site)
The Jerusalem Post shared recent SPI findings that 52% of parents said they did not feel safe about sending their children back to school in August.