Using linked survey and administrative data to better measure income : implications for poverty, program effectiveness and holes in the safety net

Abstrakt

We examine the consequences of underreporting of transfer programs in household survey data for several prototypical analyses of low-income populations. We focus on the Current Population Survey (CPS), the source of official poverty and inequality statistics, but provide evidence that our results are likely to apply to other surveys.

We link administrative data for food stamps, TANF, General Assistance, and subsidized housing from New York State to the CPS at the individual level.

Klíčová slova

• poverty
• measurement error
• administrative data