Hunger
Hunger_On_Campus
Hunger_On_Campus
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Appendix A: Methodology<br />
Schools were chosen to participate based on the availability of local<br />
volunteers affiliated with the organizations that coordinated this research.<br />
No incentives were offered to students for taking the survey.<br />
Limitations of the Methodology<br />
The survey used a convenience sample, meaning that the findings are<br />
not directly generalizable to the U.S. student population at large. Steps<br />
were taken to minimize sample bias in order to produce results that are<br />
transferable and will expand the existing knowledge base on student<br />
food insecurity. Toward that end, surveying was not allowed outside<br />
dining halls, residence halls, campus food pantries, or other locations<br />
that might oversample students based on their housing or eating habits.<br />
While the sampling method places limitations on this study, it is unclear<br />
how it biases the findings, if at all.<br />
Moreover, while the full sample is not generalizable to the larger student<br />
population, the survey did provide a population of 1,801 respondents who<br />
qualified as food insecure. The investigation of those respondents provides<br />
a useful window into the experience of food insecure college students.<br />
Demographics<br />
Despite the use of a convenience sample, the survey respondents in this<br />
study compared favorably to the combined student population at the<br />
participating schools in terms of gender and race (see Table 14). The<br />
sample was 57 percent female, compared to 54 percent of students at the<br />
participating schools. In terms of race, the sample was 40 percent white,<br />
19 percent Asian, 18 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 14 percent black<br />
or African American. This lines up closely with the student population<br />
at the participating schools, which is 41 percent white, 19 percent<br />
Asian, 17 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 8 percent black or African<br />
American. The close alignment in demographics suggests that the sample<br />
is reasonably similar to these campuses as a whole.<br />
A comparison was also made to the nationwide undergraduate population.<br />
Since the sample consisted overwhelmingly (95 percent) of undergraduate<br />
students, this comparison seemed appropriate. In this assessment, the survey<br />
sample compares less favorably. The sample is more heavily weighted<br />
toward 18-21 year-olds and students of color than the nationwide<br />
undergraduate population. This difference is likely to primarily be a<br />
function of the schools that participated in the survey. The participating<br />
schools happen to have a more racially diverse student body than the<br />
national average. In addition, compared to the nationwide population the<br />
study oversampled students from four-year universities, which tend to have<br />
a younger student population than community colleges.<br />
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