Association of Safety-Net Program Participation with Government Perceptions, Welfare Stigma, and Discrimination

Key findings used in wiki

• The study documents the association between safety-net program participation and experiences of welfare stigma and perceived discrimination, providing evidence for GiveCare's anti-stigma design priority.
• Stigma is identified as a barrier to program uptake independent of eligibility, informing GiveCare's approach to framing benefits as earned entitlements rather than charity in its SMS messaging.
• Participants reported that application processes themselves can be stigmatizing, shaping GiveCare's design principle of dignity-preserving intake and eligibility screening.
• The research finds that stigma varies by program type and demographic context, supporting GiveCare's personalized, context-aware approach to benefits language and framing.
• Negative government perceptions among safety-net participants suggest that trust must be actively built, reinforcing GiveCare's approach of leading with caregiver identity rather than program enrollment as the entry point.