A 2024 Georgia Budget and Policy Institute poll found that many Georgians have struggled to afford the cost of food. They also agreed that cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) would be unfair for people struggling to put food on the table.
- A little more than 50% of respondents said they had a challenge affording the cost in the last 12 months. That was the highest response percentage compared to other essentials.
- More than 60% of respondents with less than $25,000 a year in annual income and respondents living in South Georgia had a challenge affording food in the past 12 months.
- About 48% of respondents said that they sometimes or often worried in the past 12 months that they would run out of food before they had money to buy more.
- While respondents of most income levels experienced this concern, people with the lowest incomes had the highest responses that this happened often or sometimes in the past year.
- 84% of respondents said cutting SNAP at a time when food prices are high is unfair to people who are food insecure.
- Respondents across ideology and political parties agreed to this idea. This includes 80% of Republicans, 88% of Democrats, and 81% of Independent respondents
SNAP provides food assistance to low-income Georgians who have trouble affording the cost of food. In October 2024, it assisted nearly 1.6 million people in the state.[1] Research finds SNAP reduces food insecurity by about 30% and boosts health outcomes and children’s long-term success.[2]
The program also supports local economies throughout the state. There are about 10,000 SNAP retailers across Georgia. In federal fiscal year 2024, about $3 billion in federally-funded SNAP benefits flowed into these retailers and into the local economy.[3]
Poll Results
Questions and responses from Georgia Budget & Policy Institute’s Survey Conducted By the University of Georgia’s SPIA Survey Research Center September 11, 2024.
Have any of the following been a challenge for your family to afford over the last 12 months? [Notes: Entries are the percentage of respondents indicating category was an affordability challenge; respondents could choose as many categories as apply.]
How often does the following statement describe your personal situation: Within the past 12 months, I worried about whether food would run out before I had money to buy more.
The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, is the primary program the U.S. government uses to provide food assistance for those experiencing need. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Cutting SNAP benefits when food prices remain high unfairly burdens Georgians who need food assistance?
Endnotes
[1] Data from the Georgia Department of Human Services’ Division of Family and Children Services.
[2] Carlson, S. and Llobrera, J. (2022, December 14). SNAP Is Linked With Improved Health Outcomes and Lower Health Care Costs. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snap-is-linked-with-improved-health-outcomes-and-lower-health-care-costs#:~:text=SNAP%20improves%20food%20security%2C%20offers,their%20communities%20and%20avoid%20hospitalization.
Hoynes, H., Schanzenbach, D., & Almond, D. (2012, November). Long run impacts of childhood access to the safety net. National Bureau of Economic Research. http://www.nber.org/papers/w18535
[3] Data from the Georgia Department of Humans Services’ Division of Family and Children Services.
