Real-world experiments in messaging show that getting low-income people the help they need is more effective when stigma is reduced

By Jessica Lasky-Fink, Research Director of the People Lab, Harvard Kennedy School
Elizabeth Linos, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Management, Harvard Kennedy School

There are pervasive stereotypes that Americans who are low income and access government assistance are lazy, lack a work ethic and are even morally inferior. This stigma has been shown to have many negative consequences.

But until now, there’s been little research on whether this stigma influences the willingness to use government assistance.

We studied the effect of stigma in the context of Emergency…

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