Full Citation

Title: Unemployment Insurance in Survey and Administrative Data

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2022

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Abstract: Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits were a central part of the social safety net during the Covid-19 recession. UI benefits, however, are severely understated in surveys. Using administrative tax data, we find that over half of UI benefits were missed in major survey data, with a greater understatement among low-income workers. As a result, 2020 official poverty rates were overstated by about 2 percentage points, and corrected poverty reached a six-decade low. We provide data to correct underreporting in surveys and show that, compared to UI benefits, the UI exclusion tax expenditure was less targeted at low incomes.

Url: http://www.davidsplinter.com/LMS-UI.pdf

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Authors: Larrimore, Jeff; Mortenson, Jacob; Splinter, David

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Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Health, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Poverty and Welfare

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