The Ideological Dimensions of Hunger: Examining the Intersection of Political Beliefs and Food Security Status

ABSTRACT Despite food being essential to an individual's well‐being, food insecurity and hunger are often politicized, with political ideologies significantly influencing public perception and policy regarding food assistance programs. We explored Lerner and Miller's “just world theory,” Schneider and Ingram's “social construction framework,” Lakoff's “parenting metaphors,” and the Narrative Policy Framework to better understand the political ideological underpinnings of food policy. This study then examined how political ideology is related to an individual's food security status. A nationwide survey ( N = 4170) was collected in May and June 2021 during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine food security status as measured by the USDA, after controlling for demographics and political landscape. Initially, liberal ideology was associated with significantly lower odds of food insecurity (OR = 0.24) compared to conservatives. However, a sensitivity analysis excluding Idaho (38% of the sample) found that political ideology was not a significant predictor. Regardless of context, non‐Hispanic Other (OR = 6.39) and Hispanic (OR = 3.45) participants had significantly higher odds of food insecurity. The study concludes that while policy disagreements are deeply ideological, the association between an individual's personal food security status and their political ideology is inconsistent. Considerations for future research are included.