How are Households in Connecticut Being Impacted by Covid-19?
We all have experienced in our own lives the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. If you’re like me, you check the headlines multiple times a day, hoping for some good news.
The U.S. Census Bureau began collecting data to help us better understand the effect of Covid-19 on the population of the U.S. These data help to triangulate some of the anecdotal data we read about in the news and paint a broader picture to help us understand the impact.
On April 23, the U.S. Census Bureau began collecting data on the effects of COVID-19 on American households, called the Household Pulse Survey. The survey explores six areas:
Loss in employment income
Expected loss in employment income
Food scarcity
Delayed medical care
Housing insecurity
K-12 educational changes
We don’t have directly comparable pre-pandemic data on some of these measures, so it can be difficult to know how significant some of these findings are. These data will be collected until mid-July, so watching the change over time may help us gain better insights.
The purpose of these data is to help government at all levels, as well as other businesses and organizations, be able to plan for the future. Here are some of the major findings from the first two weeks.
Almost Half of Connecticut’s Households Have Lost Employment Income
We have seen the economic impact of the pandemic in unemployment. The unemployment claims data released by the Connecticut Department of Labor shows an unprecedented level of unemployment claims since the beginning of the pandemic. This shows only part of the picture of the economic impact on families.
The Household Pulse survey found that almost half of the households in Connecticut have lost employment income since March 13, 2020.
Unemployment measures job loss of individuals, this measure looks at the income loss within households. In addition, many employees have been furloughed or had a reduction in hours. The result is economic loss at the household level, which has a financial impact on other aspects of the household.
Food Security
Between the large loss in employment income, and the lines at food pantries, we might expect to see high food insecurity in Connecticut and across the country.
Yet the Household Pulse Survey shows that that 9% of the population in Connecticut has experienced food insecurity in the first two weeks of the survey. This may suggest that the emergency food system is currently able to meet the needs of our residents.
The closest comparable data we can look at to see what food security looked like prior to the pandemic is from the US Department of Agriculture from the years 2016-2018. These data show that in Connecticut, 12.4% of households are food insecure at any time.
Delving into the national data, we see that relatively few households did not have enough to eat often or sometimes, but much more have had access to food but not the kinds of food members of the household like to eat. The national survey does not give an easy way to identify what portion of the population accessed food from donations. But this data suggests that families may be accessing the food they need, at least for the short-term.
People Are Delaying Medical Care at A Higher Rate
The biggest change from the first week to the second is the delay of medical care. We all have heard stories of people delaying medical care or being unable to see a doctor, or we have experienced this ourselves. In week two, 41% of the population had delayed medical care due to Covid-19 in the previous four weeks. In addition, the survey found that nationally, 31% of the population sought medical treatment unrelated to Covid-19 but was unable to access it for the previous four weeks.
We don’t have any public data to tell us what percentage of the population delays seeking medical care on a regular basis to have an accurate understanding of how much of the delay is truly due to the virus versus the other reasons we all delay medical care (fear of diagnosis, busy, not good relationship with care provider, etc.). The closest we have is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which this shows us that in Connecticut in 2018 9% of Connecticut’s residents said they “needed to see a doctor but could not because of cost.” Yet not seeing a doctor due to cost is just one of the reasons people’ don’t seek care.
Recent reporting by The Economist has shown that deaths have increased in many countries from Covid-19 as well as from other causes. Additionally, the NYTimes has found an increase in deaths in many states across the country, some of which are likely not due to Covid-19 infections. Absent from this analysis is Connecticut due to the over two-month delay reported in this piece. Connecticut is moving toward a paperless death reporting system. The delays in seeking medical treatment emphasize the importance of this effort.
In addition, as Connecticut begins to reopen, public and hospital officials should clarify to the public about when to seek medical care and when not to, as well as the kinds of medical care that is available and what is not.
Housing Insecurity Decreased Slightly in Connecticut
The Household Pulse Survey measures housing insecurity as the “percent of adults who missed last month’s rent or mortgage payment, or who have slight or no confidence that their household can pay next month’s rent or mortgage on time.”
The Household Pulse Survey found that almost a quarter of Connecticut’s residents are experiencing housing insecurity according to this measure. Additionally, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found that in Connecticut, over 98,000 homeowners and over 175,000 renters are at risk of missing housing payments.
The American Housing Survey found that 4% of Connecticut’s population was unable to pay all or a portion of their rent or mortgage during 2016-2018. This is the closest comparable data we have - and it shows policymakers and funders that housing insecurity has increased significantly and will require investment in order to ensure families can stay in their homes.
Educational Changes
The data we have for Connecticut show that 100% of children in public or private school have experienced changes to their education due to Covid-19. As states begin to re-open, we may see this number change across different states.
Each week we will continue to bring you updates based on the Household Pulse Survey.
If you’d like to explore the data for yourself, you can access an interactive map or the data tables for the national data at the Household Pulse Survey website. You can review the survey items here. We will explore more of the national data in the weeks to come.
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