Report

Propel Household Pulse Survey: June 2023

The following insights come from a 10-minute multiple choice and open response survey conducted by Propel to a random sample of 3,795 of over 5M Propel users from June 1 - June 14, 2023. All respondents are EBT cardholders.

Social

FINANCIAL INSECURITY

Forced to choose between buying food and paying their bills, households are falling behind on rent and utility payments.

  • An all-time high of 60% of surveyed users report not having the household essentials they typically need.
  • 17% of respondents paid their rent late in June – representing an 8% increase from May.
  • The share of surveyed households that paid their utilities late rose 11% from May to June. Only 27% of respondents paid their utility bills on-time and in full.
  • Black respondents were more likely to be behind on rent and utility payments than white and Latinx respondents.
“I fell back on rent payments because I bought food instead of paying rent from my cash. Now I'm facing eviction.” - Judith, NY
“We can’t afford to feed our family. We are behind on our bills because our bill money is going to food.” - Hayley, OH
“I haven’t been able to get food with the money I have. I need to pay our bills or we won’t have a roof over our heads or power to store our food or to even cook with.” - Propel user, NC
FOOD INSECURITY

After spiking to record levels over the past two months, food insecurity is down slightly across all indicators.

  • The share of surveyed users who ate less and visited food pantries in June remains significantly higher than before emergency SNAP allotments expired, at about 50% and 30%, respectively. This is in line with April levels.
  • More than 30% of respondents relied on family and/or friends for food in June.
  • Nearly half of surveyed users cannot afford the kind of foods they want.
“We've had almost no money for food. My children eat at their grandparents house and I try to eat at work since I work at a restaurant. I rely on taking mistake orders home from work to feed my kids.” - Beverly, GA
“It’s been so hard. I had no vehicle to go to food pantries. For over three months, I’ve barely eaten so my kids can. I go without dinners often and am in debt with friends and family just for food.” - Propel user, FL
HOUSING INSECURITY

Eviction rates rose for the second consecutive month despite rent inflation slowing down nationwide.

  • After increasing by 40% from April to May, evictions among surveyed users rose another 7% between May and June to 5.5% overall.
  • Shelter stays dropped 21% to just over 4% of respondents – consistent with levels seen in March.
  • Black respondents were 1.6 times more likely than white households and Latinx respondents were 1.4 times more likely than white households to have had their utilities shut off in the last 30 days.
“It's the first month of summer break! My kids are going with way less. Having to rely on family and friends. May not be able to pay rent next month without help.” - Cheryl, FL
“We were unable to pay bills because we had to buy food. We're about to lose our home.” - Anna, SC