The goal was to compare EvCC numbers of insecurity in basic needs to the state-aggregated numbers. I received a total of 100 replies to my survey, or 1.6% of the total student population of 6,211. While this number fell short of my goal of 150 students, the total was large enough to be statistically significant.
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Screenshot compliments of Washington Student Achievement Council at https://wsac.wa.gov
I was interested in whether these elements of personal identity increased the prevalence of basic needs insecurity. I found aggregating the data by each demographic to be beyond the scope of the work that I was doing, but I created histograms breaking down basic needs insecurity by age. I asked three questions regarding housing insecurity and . The total percentage of housing-insecure individuals was 35%, slightly higher than the state average of 33.9%. Though my sample size was relatively small, 100 people volunteered to answer my survey questions. The numbers reported in my sample fall within the statistical probabilities of state totals.
This is .1% lower rate of homelessness than expressed in the state total for college students found by the Washington Student Achievement Council.
This high rate of "doubling-up" beyond expected capacity shows that students who are facing housing insecurity tend to rely on community support to make it through school.
21% of respondents reported underpaying or being behind on rent in the last 6 months, showing a large percentage of students with difficulty affording housing
I asked questions about food insecurity. 40% of the total respondents answered that they had either used SNAP benefits or had to forgo food for other fixed expenses in the last 6 months, indicating low food security. This number is slightly lower than the state average, as calculated by the Washington Student Achievement Council in 2024 of 43.8%.
If performing this survey again, I would clarify that SNAP benefits are governmental food assistance, otherwise known as "food stamps."
14% of students were not aware of the food pantry as a resource, 2% reported not being able to find it. This indicates that more efforts need to be made to increase awareness of this vital resource
Average rating of 2.78 indicates a moderate amount of dissatisfaction with the ability to afford nutritious meals. For individuals with dependents, the average was 2.43, indicating more dissatisfaction than individuals without dependents, who had an average of 2.98.
Then I asked questions about how basic needs insecurity interacted with the ability to participate in school.
Average of 2.69, signifying a moderate impact on the ability to participate in college due to basic needs not being met.
This impact was stronger for students who had dependents average rating was 3.29. For students without dependents, the average rating was 2.34.
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