Publication date: April 24, 2023
Written by: Travis Taylor
The Center for Excellence in Polling recently surveyed a statewide sample of likely Ohio voters on their attitudes about reforms to the state’s food stamp program.
We found consistently large and often bipartisan support for reforms that shore up the integrity of the program. These reforms would reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, and preserve food stamp resources for the truly needy.
Ohio voters support work requirements for food stamp recipients
71%
… of likely voters say they support work requirements for able-bodied adults under 50 years old with no children.
Support for these work requirements comes from a large majority of Independents (60%), Democrats (64%), and Republicans (86%). Support for work requirements for able-bodied adults under 60 with no children under six is slightly lower (65%) but still garners majority support across party lines.
70%
…of likely voters support requiring public agencies to provide volunteer opportunities for individuals on food stamps to satisfy their work requirements.
Three in four Democrats (75%) and two in three Republicans (68%) and Independents (66%) say they support this reform.
50%
…of likely voters oppose no-good-reason exemptions from work requirements.
A majority of Republicans (53%) and Independents (51%) and a plurality of Democrats (47%) say that able-bodied adults with no children at home should not be excused from work requirements without providing a good reason.
Ohioans support food stamp program integrity
74%
…of likely voters support asset tests in the food stamp program.
More than nine in 10 Republicans (91%) and more than seven in 10 Independents (71%), along with a majority of Democrats (57%), say they support checking food stamp applicants’ non-essential, luxury financial assets, such as expensive homes and cars, to make sure they are truly eligible for benefits.
72%
…of likely Ohio voters say that parents should be required to cooperate with the state’s efforts to collect child support in order to maintain eligibility for food stamps.
Support for this reform comes from 82 percent of Republicans, 68 percent of Democrats, and 65 percent of Independents.
70%
…of likely voters support requiring food stamp recipients to report to the state material changes in their financial status that could impact their program eligibility within 10 days of the change.
In supporting financial change requirements, a majority of Democrats (63%) agree with a large majority of Republicans (81%), and two-thirds of Independents (66%).
With such broad support for commonsense food stamp policies, Buckeye State policymakers have an opportunity to enact reforms that are both effective in shoring up the integrity of the program and overwhelmingly popular with voters.