Table 3.
Demographic Characteristics of Focus Group Participants. Characteristics of SNAP participants in California participating in focus groups to understand their experiences of the 2019 SNAP benefit disruption (n = 26).
| Characteristic | n | (%) * |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 4 | (15) |
| Female | 22 | (85) |
| Age | ||
| 18–30 | 1 | (4) |
| 31–50 | 16 | (62) |
| 51–70 | 8 | (31) |
| 70 or older | 1 | (4) |
| Characteristic | n | (%) * |
| Race/ethnicity | ||
| White | 11 | (42) |
| Latinx | 10 | (38) |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 2 | (8) |
| African American | 1 | (4) |
| Asian | 1 | (4) |
| Other | 1 | (4) |
| Highest Education Level Completed | ||
| Grade 1–12 (no diploma) | 9 | (35) |
| High school diploma (or equivalent) | 9 | (35) |
| Vocational certificate | 3 | (12) |
| Associate’s degree | 1 | (4) |
| Professional degree | 1 | (4) |
| Other | 3 | (12) |
| Employment ** | ||
| Stay at home providing unpaid care | 13 | (52) |
| Work part-time | 3 | (12) |
| Student | 1 | (4) |
| Retired/Disabled | 6 | (24) |
| Unemployed/Laid off | 2 | (8) |
| Income | ||
| Less than US$16,000 | 15 | (58) |
| US$16,000–29,000 | 5 | (19) |
| US$29,001–37,000 | 2 | (8) |
| More than US$37,000 | 1 | (4) |
| Do not know | 3 | (12) |
| Marital Status | ||
| Married | 6 | (23) |
| Widowed | 2 | (8) |
| Divorced or Separated | 11 | (42) |
| Never Married | 4 | (15) |
| Living with a partner | 3 | (12) |
| Current SNAP Participant | 21 | (81) |
| Food Program participation in the past 6 months | ||
| WIC | 6 | (23) |
| Free or reduced-price lunch or breakfast at school | 8 | (31) |
| School food backpack program | 3 | (12) |
| Food pantry/food bank | 15 | (58) |
| Food Security (Ran out of food and did not have money to buy more in the past year) | ||
| Often | 10 | (38) |
| Sometimes true | 15 | (58) |
| Never true | 1 | (4) |
* Due to rounding, some percentages do not add to 100. ** n = 25 instead of 26 for this item.