Understanding Administration Burdens to WIC Participation: Evidence from a Survey Experiment on Information Provision

• In Event: Policy and Administrative Choices to Improve Child Health and Well-Being

Abstract

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is designed to ensure adequate nutrition for low-income pregnant women, postpartum women, and children under five. Despite its benefits, participation remains low: only 57.4% of eligible individuals participated in 2019 (USDA, 2021). Guided by a utility-maximizing framework, this study explores how perceived costs—including time, effort, and informational barriers—may outweigh perceived benefits, discouraging participation (Moffitt, 1983; Li et al., 2022). Specifically, the study focuses on administrative burdens, with particular attention to learning costs such as information search, eligibility determination, and navigation of public services.
To investigate the role of information in shaping participation intentions, we will conduct a randomized survey experiment with approximately 1,000 respondents. Participants are randomly assigned to receive information about WIC or other low-participation, means-tested programs for low-income families—such as National School Lunch Program (NSLP), CHIP/Medicaid (only for children), Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), and Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP). Each treatment group is compared against a pooled control group exposed to unrelated program information.
Preliminary survey results we've conducted (n=170) reveal that WIC-eligible non-participants often cite complex application procedures, lack of transportation availability to clinics/offices, misinformation about eligibility, and fears related to immigration status as key deterrents. This project is currently in its preliminary phase; the main survey will be conducted in the summer. Findings aim to inform policy designs that reduce learning costs and promote equitable access to nutrition assistance programs.

Author

• Youngbin Lee, University of Missouri-Columbia
  Presenting Author