Food insecurity and unemployment among immigrants in the United States
研究美国移民家庭相比本地家庭，失业率上升如何更严重地导致食物不安全，尤其非公民移民受影响最大，并探讨教育程度的缓解作用。
Abstract Immigrants can be more vulnerable to economic downturns and, during periods of economic hardship, more likely to experience food insecurity compared to natives. This study examines the differential effect of the unemployment rate on the probability of being food insecure among diverse groups of immigrant households relative to natives in the United States. Since the unemployment rate is not randomly determined for households, we use an identification strategy based on shift‐share Bartik instruments which exploit exogenous spatial variation in industry employment shares and national industry growth rates. We find that increases in the unemployment rate raise the probability of household food insecurity, with noncitizen immigrants disproportionately affected compared to both natives and naturalized citizens, likely reflecting their more limited access to safety‐net programs. Noncitizen immigrant cohorts from countries with high proportions of less‐skilled workers, or those arriving during economic downturns, are more likely to experience food insecurity than both native‐born individuals and naturalized immigrant citizens. Higher education partially mitigates the impact of unemployment on household food insecurity, particularly for U.S. immigrant noncitizens. Our findings highlight the need for targeted measures to support at‐risk immigrant groups disproportionately vulnerable to short‐term economic shocks.