Potential mechanisms linking poverty alleviation and health: an analysis of benefit spending among recipients of the U.S. earned income tax credit

Table 2 Tax Refund Spending among EITC Recipients, by Spending Category

Spending Categories	N (%)
Bills and debt	126 (52.3)
Housing	119 (49.4)
Vehicles	91 (37.8)
Retail consumption	62 (25.7)
Food	57 (23.7)
Children’s needs	29 (12.0)
Home repairs and improvements	29 (12.0)
Savings and investments	25 (10.4)
Education	13 (5.4)
Healthcare and health insurance	11 (4.6)
Miscellaneous	8 (3.3)

N = 241. Sample drawn from the Assessing California Communities’ Experiences with Safety Net Supports (ACCESS) Study, which interviewed economically disadvantaged California families with young children and verified receipt of the earned income tax credit via tax returns. Recipients could report spending on more than one category. Details on spending categories are included in the Supplement.

ISSN: 1471-2458