Voters Support a Permanent Extension of the Universal Free School Lunch Policy
By Devi Ruia
The Universal Free School Lunch Program was a measure rolled out during the coronavirus pandemic to guarantee that any student could get a free meal, but without the income requirements previously used to determine eligibility for the free lunch program.
Prior to the pandemic, this program required families to fall below a specific income threshold and to fill out the necessary paperwork in order for students to receive this benefit. These requirements often led some students who needed these meals to be left out. Additionally, for the students that did receive this benefit, there was the risk of a stigma being associated with receiving it.
However, during the pandemic, the USDA changed the policy to cover all meals provided to public school students, enabling any student to receive free meals. New polling from Data for Progress shows that voters support permanently extending the Universal Free School Lunch Program to make school breakfasts and lunches free for all public school students.
By a 54-point margin, voters support a permanent extension of this policy. This includes Democrats by a 77-point margin, Independents by a 44-point margin, and Republicans by a 33-point margin.
The Universal Free School Lunch Program has enabled all children who need meals to receive them and taken away the stigma associated with receiving a free meal. Additionally, it provided relief for families going through a tough time without making them go through strict eligibility requirements. The program should be extended permanently to continue to ensure that all students receive free and nutritious meals.
Devi Ruia (@DeviRuia) is a press assistant at Data for Progress.
Methodology
From June 11 to 14, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,175 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.