Food Pantries and Stigma: Users’ Concerns and Public Support

Authors

Peter A. Kindle, University of South DakotaFollow
McKayla Foust-Newton, University of South DakotaFollow
Marissa Reis, University of South DakotaFollow
Margaret Gell, University of South DakotaFollow

Abstract

This study compares the perception of stigma measured as social distance between users (n = 40) and non-users (n = 202) of local food pantries in the Upper Midwest. Utilizing the concept of social distance to measure social disapproval and stigma with a new Food Pantry Stigma Scale, these nonprobability results indicated that users’ perception of stigma was significantly higher than the non-using public (Cohen’s d = 1.56). These findings suggest that public support for need-based use of local food pantries in the Upper Midwest is substantially higher than those facing food insecurity anticipate.

Recommended Citation

Kindle, Peter A.; Foust-Newton, McKayla; Reis, Marissa; and Gell, Margaret (2019) "Food Pantries and Stigma: Users’ Concerns and Public Support," Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal: Vol. 11: No. 1, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61611/2165-4611.1178
Available at: https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/crsw/vol11/iss1/2