Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the reasons why some households that met the eligibility criteria for the Food Stamp Program did not receive benefits, focusing on the: (1) demographic characteristics associated with Food Stamp participation; and (2) reasons that eligible households gave for their nonparticipation.

GAO found that: (1) 56.2 percent of eligible households did not participate in the Food Stamp Program; (2) high household participation rates in the program were closely associated with participation in other welfare programs, while household types with low participation rates included those receiving Social Security benefits, those headed by elderly persons, and those headed by single men; (3) the reasons given for nonparticipation included a lack of desire for benefits, lack of program information, and program or access problems; (4) many of the nonparticipation reasons were related to particular demographic, socioeconomic, or other household characteristics; (5) the Hunger Prevention Act directed the use of simplified application forms and provided federal support for state outreach or education efforts; and (6) effective outreach programs were more likely to influence households headed by single individuals.