Food Insecurity among University Students: Results of a Large Survey at a Public University in Southern New Jersey

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Robert R. Weaver  

University education becomes more and more necessary for success in an increasingly competitive, knowledge-based economy. While its costs continue to rise, income levels remain flat for most households. Caught between work, debt, and rising expenses, more and more students struggle to afford basic necessities, finding themselves hungry and “food insecure.” This poses another challenge to student success and social mobility. This paper reports the results of a large survey designed to characterize the nature and extent of food insecurity at a public university in Southern New Jersey. The study uses an online survey to explore how parental education, high school previously attended, gender, ethnicity, and race may influence food insecurity. We expect that students from lower SES backgrounds will experience higher levels of food insecurity than their counterparts from higher SES backgrounds. The study also asks open-ended questions to obtain views on various issues related to food insecurity – e.g., the stigma associated with using food pantries, obstacles faced to eating healthy foods, effects of food insecurity on academic performance. The paper will describe the programs and prospects of addressing the problem of hunger on campus, and will improve our understanding of the effects of structural inequalities on student success as explored through the prism of food insecurity.