Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Policy leaders and professionals today look to quality data and statistics to help inform and guide programmatic decisions, otherwise known as data driven decision-making. In light of this, assessing the quality and validity of major household surveys to capture accurate program take up is important. In this paper, we examine the extent to which the Current Population Survey (CPS) self-reporting on program participation in SNAP, TANF, LIHEAP and other assistance programs accurately reflects administrative records. Specifically, we examine potential issues of underreporting in self-reported surveys and estimate the impact on the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM).