Food Insufficiency and Income Volatility in Us Households: The Effects of Imputed Income in the Survey of Income and Program Participation
Dahl, M.; DeLeire, T.; Mok, S.
Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy 36(3): 416-437
2014
ISSN/ISBN: 2040-5790 DOI: 10.1093/aepp/ppu009Document Number: 331270
In this article, we explore how using imputed income data in the Survey of Income and Program Participation affects the observed relationship between household income volatility and food insufficiency. We find that measuring income volatility using imputed income data substantially understates the association between large drops in household income and food insufficiency. After excluding observations with imputed income, large drops in income are associated with a 2.1–percentage point increased probability of food insufficiency, or a 31% higher likelihood of food insufficiency.