New York Fed to Release Research on Food Insecurity’s Relationship with Consumer Pessimism in the K-Shaped Economy

NEW YORK - On Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 10:30 AM, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will release a Liberty Street Economics blog post examining recent changes in food insecurity, how that insecurity relates to consumer pessimism, and who is most affected.

With consumer sentiment at surprising lows despite solid economic fundamentals, it is important to understand why households are pessimistic about their financial situations. With this in mind, the upcoming post examines the evolution of household financial stress and food insufficiency since 2020. It also explores the correlation between food insecurity and households' expectations for their financial situations, ability to find jobs, and debt delinquency.

The findings in this blog post are based on supplemental questions fielded in the October 2025 and February 2026 Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE). The SCE is a nationally representative survey of a rotating panel of approximately 1,200 household heads.

Press Call on Research on Food Insecurity's Relationship with Consumer Pessimism in the K-Shaped Economy: Authors of the blog will host a deep background press call on Wednesday, May 27 at 9:30 AM ET to provide further context on the research. Journalists interested in participating should RSVP to Connor Munsch at [email protected].