A Qualitative Analysis of SNAP and Minimum Wage Policies as Experienced by Workers with Lower Incomes

ABSTRACT

Work-related policies, including minimum wage and food assistance work requirements, can affect food security for people with lower incomes. This study conducted 112 qualitative interviews to understand participant policy experiences in two contexts (Raleigh, North Carolina and Minneapolis, Minnesota). Participants experienced frequent, destabilizing changes to their United States Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which they identified as part of a broader safety net. Raleigh workers described an unsupportive policy environment; Minneapolis workers reaped few benefits from an ongoing wage increase. Many workers face complex financial tradeoffs; more sophisticated evaluations should consider broader policy contexts and long-range effects.

KEYWORDS:

• People with lower incomes
• minimum wage
• work requirements
• policy evaluation
• qualitative
• snap

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was supported by a grant from the Tufts-UConn Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The study sample and baseline data were drawn from a larger National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK/NIH) study (National institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases 1R01DK118664–01). NIH grant UL1TR002494 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) supported data management. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Funding agencies had no role in the design, analysis or writing of this article.