Safety Net Support Use in California

The investigator's goal is to promote equity by understanding the drivers of disparities in access to income support, particularly among urban and rural Latinx, African American, and white populations in California. This study aims to capture levels of awareness, barriers to uptake, and the benefits of participation in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and families, among households with children ages 0-5 years old. To achieve this goal, the investigators will conduct a mixed-methods, cross-sectional, descriptive study in three diverse counties in California: Los Angeles (urban, nearly half Latinx), Alameda (urban, ethnically diverse), and Merced (rural, predominantly Latinx and white).

Using both focus groups and survey interviews, the investigators will recruit parents of young children (ages 0-5) eligible for the EITC (confirmed with screening questions regarding age, family size, marital status, and income) who either: 1) have utilized the program, or 2) have not utilized the program (do not file taxes or filed taxes but have not filed for EITC benefits). For the first group, the investigators will probe the value of the EITC benefits for their families, what experiences they had filing their taxes and receiving the benefit, how they spent the EITC benefits, and their thoughts about alternative approaches for benefit delivery that would better support their families. For the second group, the investigators aim to understand what they have heard of the program, why they may not have taken advantage of the benefits, and their recommendations for making the program more accessible. The investigators will also explore how EITC take-up varies by demographic variables, such as county of residence, income, and race/ethnicity, as well as children's and parents' characteristics, and enrollment in other programs designed to support low-income families with young children. The investigators will also ask questions about families' experiences with COVID-19 and related mitigation strategies (e.g. school closures, etc). As described in greater detail below, all data collection activities will be conducted in partnership with agencies such as WIC and Head Start, and through partnerships with the University of California Cooperative Extension program and other similar agencies.