In partnership with the polling firm Ipsos, the University of California, Berkeley, and other advocacy organizations, CLASP conducted three nationally representative surveys of families about the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) that was included as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. The goals for the surveys were to understand families’ tax filing behavior and awareness of the expanded CTC, learn how parents were spending their CTC funds, and measure how the expanded credit impacted families’ well-being.  

The first survey was conducted in July 2021, before the monthly CTC payments began. The second survey was administered in October 2021, after eligible families received three months of CTC payments. The third survey was administered in July 2022, after the monthly CTC payments expired and after parents had filed their 2021 tax return. The July 2022 survey also included responses from more than 500 parents in Puerto Rico about their experiences filing for the CTC, and how they planned to spend their credit. 

For each of the three survey rounds, CLASP and partners released initial topline findings as well as a more in-depth report.  

The organizations involved in the project include the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), Children’s Defense Fund, ideas42, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Prosperity Now, UnidosUS, University of California, Berkeley, and Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. CLASP thanks the Heising-Simons Foundation for generously funding this project. 

July 2021 Survey  

• America’s Families and the Child Tax Credit: Key Findings from National Survey, July 2021  
• America’s Families and the Child Tax Credit: Results from a National Survey of Eligible Parents  

October 2021 Survey  

• Key Findings from National Child Tax Credit Survey: CTC Monthly Payments Are Helping Improve Family Well-Being  
• The Expanded Child Tax Credit is Helping Families, But National Survey Shows Continued Outreach Remains Essential  

July 2022 Survey  

• Child Tax Credit: Key Findings from July 2022 National Survey  
• National Survey: Families Faced Financial Strain When Expanded CTC Expired