The Williams Institute

New study shows 2.4 million (29%) LGBT adults experienced a time in the last year when they did not have enough money to feed themselves or their family.  LGBT people experience disproportionate levels of food insecurity and higher participation rates in the SNAP program, especially those raising children, a risk that persists despite possible differences in demographic characteristics between LGBT and non-LGBT individuals like gender, age, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment. For example, data suggest that same-sex couples raising children are approximately twice as likely to receive food stamps as different-sex couples with children.

This research brief analyzes data from three national population-based surveys that include measures of LGBT identity or being part of a same-sex couple along with measures of food insecurity or participation in SNAP.  Both descriptive and multivariate analyses were used.