Report

Propel Household Pulse Survey: March 2024

The following insights come from a <10-minute multiple choice and open response survey conducted by Propel. This month, responses came from 2,784 randomly selected households out of over 5M Propel users from March 1 - March 14, 2024. All respondents are EBT cardholders.

Social

FINANCIAL INSECURITY

24% of households surveyed in March indicated that they would discontinue their internet services when the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) expires.

  • Since 2021, the ACP has provided eligible households a discount of up to $30 per month toward their internet bills and a one-time stipend for a device.
  • Among households surveyed in March, two-thirds rely on the internet for accessing government services, 52% for educational purposes, 49% for health care, 47% for work or job opportunities, 45% for finding food, and 22% for finding housing or shelter.
  • Participation in the ACP among surveyed households has grown around 30% year-on-year – roughly 43% were enrolled in March.
  • 57% of surveyed ACP enrollees still find their monthly internet costs “somewhat” or “very difficult” to afford even with the discount.
  • Black and Latinx respondents are more likely to rely on the internet for work or job-related uses and for education.
  • Read our full report on the ACP’s impact here.
“Kept me connected to the internet even when I was completely broke and facing eviction about a year ago. I couldn't have pulled myself out of financial trouble if I didn't have the ACP. It gave me access to everything. C-19 taught us something.” – Hanna, OH
“My internet and phone are packaged together and cost me over $100 without the ACP. If I lose this then I’ll pretty much lose both.” – Propel user, TN
FOOD INSECURITY

The share of households that skipped meals or relied on others for food last month rose 5% and 4%, respectively.

  • 37% of respondents skipped meals in the last month, a 28% increase from March 2023.
  • 34% of respondents visited a food pantry at least once in the last month, a 48% YoY increase.
  • 30% of respondents relied on family and friends for meals or groceries in the last month, a 67% YoY increase.
  • Nearly 60% of surveyed households spent more than $100 in cash on food beyond their benefits.
“My kids and I go to my friends house for dinner every Friday night so we don’t have one less dinner to worry about.” – Shannon, WA
HOUSING INSECURITY

Housing instability, shelter stays, and utility shut-offs all rose 5-8% from February.

  • The share of respondents in unstable housing (e.g motel, car, or shelter) rose 9% in March to 13.4% overall.
  • 6.2% of respondents stayed in a shelter at least one night in the last month, a 5% increase from February.
  • Utility shut-offs rose 8% in March to 9.2% overall, with higher shut-off rates among Black and Latinx respondents (12% and 11%) compared to white survey-takers (7%).
“I recently applied for the LIHEAP program and I think they are going to do weatherization at my house. This would be a big help because they would bring the cost of heating the house down because of the serious draft that I have coming in the house.” – Rosemary, PA
“I am currently still homeless and I have tried to get assistance to get some kind of housing or something to get off the streets in order to get a job to better my life but still no luck or anything.” – Kayla, CO