Access to Social Network Support and Material Hardship

Abstract

Does access to social network support help protect households from material hardship? In this study, we analyze data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation ( N = 28,805) and find that access to assistance from family and friends is associated with a decrease in the likelihood that a household experiences bill-paying hardship, food hardship, or health care hardship. In addition, we examine the interaction between household income and level of available assistance from family and friends. Respondents with higher incomes are able to self-insure against material hardship, and consequently, the protection against material hardship offered by access to assistance is greatest for those respondents with the lowest incomes. Overall, these findings contribute to sociological understandings of how social networks and social isolation shape the well-being of households and suggest an important mechanism for how low-income households are able to avoid material hardship despite inadequate financial resources.