The association of safety-net program participation with government perceptions, welfare stigma, and discrimination

Safety-net programs in the United States offered critical support to counter food insecurity and poverty during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are both means-tested programs with significant benefits. Take-up of SNAP and EITC is lower in California than nationwide and reasons for this difference are unclear. We examined associations of participation in SNAP and receipt of the EITC and perceptions of the US government, 2 types of welfare stigma (program stigma and social stigma), and perceived discrimination. We interviewed a sample of 497 caregivers of young children from families with low income in California during the COVID-19 pandemic (August 2020-May 2021). We found that participation in SNAP (odds ratio [OR] = 1.24 [1.05, 1.47]) and receiving the EITC (OR = 1.39 [1.05, 1.84]) were both associated with greater reported perceptions of social stigma, but not with perceptions of government, program stigma, or discrimination. Among food-insecure respondents, we found that participation in SNAP was additionally associated with program stigma and discrimination. These findings suggest that perceived social stigma may be a reason that people with low income may not participate in programs for which they are eligible.