WI25-09: Living with grandma as a survival strategy? Understanding Social Security's role in the economic lives of children in multigenerational families

Research has established the benefits of Social Security’s Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program for the economic stability of adult beneficiaries, but it also plays an increasingly important role in reducing poverty and deep poverty among children. Children can benefit from OASDI either as direct recipients or indirectly by living with an adult who receives OASDI. Focusing on families in which children are indirect beneficiaries of OASDI, this project will use mixed methods to clarify the role of Social Security in the economic lives of children in multi-generational, skip-generation, and other non-traditional families, highlighting disparities by race, ethnicity, family structure, and immigration status. First, we will use administrative records to estimate how many children are lifted out of poverty and deep poverty by indirect OASDI benefits. Then, we will estimate how much families with children who receive non-child OASDI rely on these benefits relative to other resources. Finally, to gain a more nuanced understanding of the role that Social Security plays in families’ economic and broader well-being, we will conduct focus groups to hear directly from Black skip-generation families receiving Social Security. Project findings will inform efforts to maximize Social Security’s potential to support the economic security of diverse families, address unmet needs, and reduce economic disparities.