Reducing Stigma to Increase Participation in Safety Net Programs

There are estimates that between 20 and 50 percent of people eligible for social safety net programs do not access them. While there may be many factors contributing to that gap, recent research has focused on the role that stigma plays. Stigma can be direct or anticipated from the wider society, including from agency workers with whom people would need to interact to access services. This Institute for Research on Poverty podcast episode examines how reducing stigma can increase participation in safety net programs.