A University of Michigan study found stimulus payments were effective at staving off economic pain.
Gauges of food insecurity and financial instability plummeted after checks were sent in December and March.
The payments delivery even coincided with broad improvements in the mental health of recipients.
New analysis suggests that relief payments included in Congress s sweeping stimulus were highly effective at supporting Americans and easing various stresses through the pandemic.
The pandemic-era stimulus checks weren t the first instance of the government issuing relief payments, but the amount of cash sent directly to Americans over the past year is unparalleled. Millions of Americans received $1,200 payments from the March 2020 CARES Act, another $600 check from President Donald Trump s late-2020 package, and a $1,400 payment from Democrats March stimulus.