PROJECT OVERVIEW
How Framing of Income Eligibility Guidelines Affect Attitudes Towards Program Access and Burdens
Highlights
Policymakers must organize and communicate safety net policies to the public, such as eligibility guidelines around administrative categories.
One potentially impactful difference in how policies are communicated is whether safety-net program income eligibility thresholds are presented in either dollar terms or based on the percentage of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). This paper examines this question using a survey experiment for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with responses collected from an online panel.
Results show that cases presented in terms of FPL are less likely to enjoy public support for Medicaid benefits compared to when dollar thresholds are used. The results did not hold for evaluations of SNAP or for evaluations of work requirements. There are consistent differences in attitudes about program eligibility and work requirements based on partisanship, ideology, and knowledge of the disparate effects of burdens.
Overview
Policymakers organize and frequently communicate safety net policies, such as eligibility guidelines around administrative categories. Simon Haeder and Don Moynihan examined if communication either in terms of the FPL- or dollar-form alters preferences around program eligibility and administrative burdens in the SNAP and Medicaid.
The study fielded a survey (N = 4157), which included a pre-registered survey experiment with racially/ethnically identifiable names for potential beneficiaries. The study found that individuals whose cases are presented in terms of the FPL are less likely to enjoy public support for Medicaid benefits. The results did not hold for evaluations of SNAP or for evaluations of work requirements. The study found no differences based on the race or ethnicity presented in the vignettes, but identified consistent differences based on partisanship, ideology, and knowledge of the disparate effects of burdens. Differences in the framing of eligibility limits may affect public attitudes.
![Figure 1: Distribution of Attitudes about Program Eligibility. Notes: Estimates based on weighted least squares models. Attitudes about program eligibility are based on the question: Do you think [name] should be eligible to enroll in [program]? Answer choices included Definitely not, Probably not, Might or might not, Probably yes, Definitely yes (5).](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c84b84_59393ed4337a49f58f93258afdab8ed9~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_86,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/c84b84_59393ed4337a49f58f93258afdab8ed9~mv2.jpg)
