Abstract
Hunger in the U.S. has historically been a problem with many root causes and complicated solutions. There have been many studies on hunger in general, but few speak to the unique characteristics of Californians who are hungry. The December 2010 Food Security Survey is one part of the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the Census Bureau. The 2010 Food Security Survey measures US food security on a state-by-state basis. Logistic regression analysis of the 2010 CPS data for California reveals specific demographic variables that are predictive of food insecurity among households. The demographics of the heads of household who answered the questions of the survey which are predicted to be food insecure are: age, education, black identification, multiracial identification, Mexican Hispanic origin, non-Mexican Hispanic origin, those looking for work, unemployed disabled people, those with a spouse absent/divorced/separated, and never married. The demographic of the households that participated in the survey that predicted food insecurity was income below 185% of the poverty level. A model was ran to specify which demographic variables describe those who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and Women Infant and Children program benefits. Another model was ran to describe the demographic variables of those who use free and reduced-cost lunch benefits at school, day-care, or Head-Start program. Age, education, those below 185% of the poverty line, being Hispanic, being unemployed, and those with a spouse absent/divorced/separated were significant factors found in all regression analyses that predicted one’s odds of being food secure and one’s odds of receiving food program benefits.