WI22-Q1: Economic Security of People with Disabilities During the Pandemic

Abstract

This paper investigates the degree to which people with disabilities experienced different economic outcomes after the COVID-19 pandemic relative to people without disabilities. While the effects of the pandemic are ongoing, this study provides a preliminary snapshot of early trends for people with disabilities. It first asks: how have measures of financial well-being changed for people with disabilities in years before versus after the start of the pandemic, when compared to people without disabilities? Second, we look at within pandemic changes in economic security, again comparing people with and without disabilities over time. Our main outcomes of interest include emergency savings, financial anxiety, late payments, consumption hardships and use of debt, as well as subjective financial well-being. Using data from three national surveys, the Census Household Pulse, Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, and the FINRA National Financial Capability Study from 2018 to 2021, this study uses provides evidence on the financial well-being for people with and without disabilities over the pandemic using different time periods and different measures of worker disability.