IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/apecpp/v45y2023i1p372-391.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Age differences in expenditure responses to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits

Author

Listed:
  • Geetha M. Waehrer

Abstract

Using data from the 2007–2011 and 2012–2014 Consumer Expenditure Surveys, this study finds that unlike younger adults, senior Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants' food‐at‐home expenditures did not respond to the 2009 increase in SNAP benefits. Higher benefits did not shift seniors' Engel curve for food‐at‐home spending suggesting that in‐kind SNAP benefits are equivalent to cash income for seniors, unlike younger adults. The 2013 decrease in SNAP benefits had no effect on senior or younger adult food spending. Changes in benefits also resulted in spillover effects on non‐food spending for seniors and younger adults including spending on transportation, utilities, health services, and other expenditures.

Suggested Citation

  • Geetha M. Waehrer, 2023. "Age differences in expenditure responses to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 372-391, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:45:y:2023:i:1:p:372-391
    DOI: 10.1002/aepp.13316
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13316
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/aepp.13316?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Unknown, 2004. "Effects Of Food Assistance And Nutrition Programs On Nutrition And Health: Volume 3, Literature Review," Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Reports 33863, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Timothy K.M. Beatty & Charlotte J. Tuttle, 2015. "Expenditure Response to Increases in In-Kind Transfers: Evidence from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 97(2), pages 390-404.
    3. Nord, Mark, 2013. "Effects of the Decline in the Real Value of SNAP Benefits From 2009 to 2011," Economic Research Report 155384, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    4. Mark Aguiar & Erik Hurst, 2013. "Deconstructing Life Cycle Expenditure," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 121(3), pages 437-492.
    5. Nord, Mark & Prell, Mark, 2011. "Food Security Improved Following the 2009 ARRA Increase in SNAP Benefits," Economic Research Report 262242, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    6. Barbara Devaney & Thomas Fraker, 1990. "The Effects of Food Stamps on Food Expenditures: Reply," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 72(3), pages 732-733.
    7. Waehrer, Geetha & Deb, Partha & Decker, Sandra L., 2015. "Did the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act affect dietary intake of low-income individuals?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 170-183.
    8. Barbara Devaney & Thomas Fraker, 1990. "The Effects of Food Stamps on Food Expenditures: Reply," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 72(4), pages 1084-1086.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. James P. Ziliak & Craig Gundersen & Anna Vaudin, 2023. "Introduction to senior hunger special issue," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 221-233, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jacob Alex Klerman & Anne Wolf & Ann Collins & Stephen Bell & Ronette Briefel, 2017. "The Effects the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Demonstration has on Children’s Food Security," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 39(3), pages 516-532.
    2. Brandon J. Restrepo & Matthew P. Rabbitt & Christian A. Gregory, 2021. "The Effect of Unemployment on Food Spending and Adequacy: Evidence from Coronavirus‐Induced Firm Closures," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 185-204, March.
    3. Valizadeh, Pourya & Smith, Travis A., 2017. "How Did the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Impact the Material Well-being of SNAP Participants? A Distributional Approach," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258496, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Oliveira, Victor & Prell, Mark & Tiehen, Laura & Smallwood, David, 2018. "Design Issues in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Looking Ahead by Looking Back," Economic Research Report 276253, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    5. Todd, Jessica E. & Gregory, Christian, 2018. "Changes in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program real benefits and daily caloric intake among adults," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 111-120.
    6. Hudak, Katelin M. & Racine, Elizabeth F., 2021. "Do additional SNAP benefits matter for child weight?: Evidence from the 2009 benefit increase," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    7. Justine Hastings & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2018. "How Are SNAP Benefits Spent? Evidence from a Retail Panel," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(12), pages 3493-3540, December.
    8. Almada, Lorenzo N. & Tchernis, Rusty, 2018. "Measuring effects of SNAP on obesity at the intensive margin," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 150-163.
    9. Pourya Valizadeh & Travis A Smith, 2020. "How Did The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Affect the Material Well‐Being of SNAP Participants? A Distributional Approach," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(3), pages 455-476, September.
    10. Katare, Bhagyashree & Binkley, James K. & Chen, Kaiyan, 2021. "Nutrition and diet quality of food at home by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) status," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    11. Almada, Lorenzo & McCarthy, Ian M., 2017. "It's a cruel summer: Household responses to reductions in government nutrition assistance," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 45-57.
    12. Kim, Jiyoon, 2016. "Do SNAP participants expand non-food spending when they receive more SNAP Benefits?—Evidence from the 2009 SNAP benefits increase," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 9-20.
    13. Mehreen S. Ismail & Michele Ver Ploeg & Virginia Chomitz & Parke Wilde, 2024. "Examining the role of the excess shelter deduction in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit formula," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 46(1), pages 300-317, March.
    14. Tiehen, Laura & Jolliffe, Dean & Gundersen, Craig, 2012. "Alleviating Poverty in the United States: The Critical Role of SNAP Benefits," Economic Research Report 262233, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    15. Tuttle, Charlotte, 2016. "The Stimulus Act of 2009 and Its Effect on Food-At-Home Spending by SNAP Participants," Economic Research Report 262193, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    16. Justine Hastings & Ryan Kessler & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2021. "The Effect of SNAP on the Composition of Purchased Foods: Evidence and Implications," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 277-315, August.
    17. Vogel, Stephen & Miller, Cristina & Ralston, Katherine, 2021. "Impact of USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on Rural and Urban Economies in the Aftermath of the Great Recession," Economic Research Report 327185, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    18. Jun Zhang & Yanghao Wang & Steven T. Yen, 2021. "Does Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reduce Food Insecurity among Households with Children? Evidence from the Current Population Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-15, March.
    19. Qingxiao Li & Metin Çakır, 2024. "Estimating SNAP purchasing power and its effect on participation," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 106(2), pages 779-804, March.
    20. Alyssa J. Moran & Yuxuan Gu & Sasha Clynes & Attia Goheer & Christina A. Roberto & Anne Palmer, 2020. "Associations between Governmental Policies to Improve the Nutritional Quality of Supermarket Purchases and Individual, Retailer, and Community Health Outcomes: An Integrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-23, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:45:y:2023:i:1:p:372-391. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)2040-5804 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.