Evaluating the Role of Stigma as a Barrier to Take-up of Public Benefits

Means-tested public benefits programs significantly reduce poverty, yet many eligible households do not take them up. Literature on administrative burdens to program take-up has focused on learning and compliance barriers, with mixed results. Less research has focused on the administrative burden of psychological costs. Public policy scholar Elizabeth Linos will examine the role of stigma in the take-up of public safety-net benefits. She will conduct survey experiments for her study.