Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nudges
Program overview
Helping eligible people access SNAP: SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) nudges are a behavioral intervention, in which SNAP-eligible households are sent information on how to apply for SNAP benefits. Such programs aim to increase the number of households receiving SNAP benefits.
Providing information about eligibility: Many SNAP-eligible households are unaware they are eligible and do not access benefits. SNAP nudge programs, which are typically administered by a public or nonprofit agency with experience connecting individuals to public benefits, aim to address this issue. Nudges may be sent in a variety of forms, but are often sent as postcards or letters in the mail. These nudges notify recipients that they are eligible for SNAP benefits and provide contact information for the relevant agency for processing SNAP applications.
Sending a reminder: When eligible households receive a nudge but do not subsequently access SNAP benefits, the implementing agency may send a reminder. Typically, these reminders are sent out approximately two months after the first contact is initiated.
Offering application assistance: The complexity of the application process for SNAP benefits can also pose a barrier. As such, the implementing agency may also provide recipients with contact information for application support services. Typically, these services answer questions about the SNAP application process and may submit clients’ applications on their behalf.
A single study with a rigorous design provides some evidence for nudges and application assistance as a strategy for increasing SNAP up-take.
- A 2018 randomized controlled trial found that letters informing households of their SNAP eligibility increased up-take of SNAP benefits from 6 to 11 percent. The same study found that pairing those letters with personalized application assistance increased SNAP up-take 6 to 18 percent.
Use non-stigmatizing language during outreach: A study found that using language that frames benefits as programs that users “paid into or paid taxes towards” over their lifetime reduces the stigma felt about applying. Meanwhile, framing SNAP benefits as a resource to “help” recipients reduced their likelihood of applying. To increase program enrollment, agencies should avoid stigmatizing framings when preparing outreach materials.
Remember the reminder: Repeated outreach can be an effective method of increasing enrollment. In an evaluation of a SNAP nudge program, a reminder postcard two months after the initial outreach increased enrollment. To maximize SNAP enrollment, agencies should include reminder messages in their program plan.
Determine the appropriate design for the local context: An evaluation of a SNAP nudge program estimated the cost of mailing nudges at $20 per household, and the cost of providing individualized application assistance at $60 per household. When resources are limited, replicating agencies should consider running a pilot program to determine which program design may be most effective in their local context. In addition to evaluating whether to offer either nudges or application assistance, a replicating agency could assess whether offering both services, but differentiating the type of assistance based on client characteristics, may be most appropriate. When a pilot is not feasible, however, local leaders should consider whether reaching more households with only nudges, or reaching fewer households but providing application assistance, may be most appropriate.
Monitor enrollment: While SNAP nudge programs have been demonstrated to increase enrollment significantly, many eligible households still do not take up SNAP. Local leaders should collect data on who applies for SNAP after being nudged, then use that information to identify other potential barriers to SNAP enrollment. Leaders could survey households that did not respond to nudges, or could conduct focus groups of applicants who did access application support services.