The Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS) is a nationally representative, annual survey of adults that monitors individual and family well-being in the context of a changing safety net.
Launched by the Urban Institute in December 2017, the WBNS has played a pivotal role in highlighting the challenges that households face in meeting basic needs such as food, housing, and health care, and provided timely information on key policy discussions before data from federal surveys become available.
More than 10,000 adults currently participate in the WBNS. Between 2017 and 2024, more than 7,500 adults ages 18 to 64 participated in each survey round. In 2025, the sample was expanded to include approximately 2,500 adults ages 65 and older. Each year, we select a random sample of adults from the KnowledgePanel, a probability-based internet panel maintained by Ipsos that includes households with and without internet access.
The WBNS covers a broad cross-section of topics, including food security, housing, health, disability, employment, family income, safety net program participation, and family financial security. In addition to core measures tracked over time, each survey round includes new topical questions that are responsive to the rapidly changing economic and policy environment.
The Urban Institute partners with the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan to make WBNS public use files available through RWJF’s Health and Medical Archive on the ICPSR website.
Dataset Info
- Modified 2026-10-06
- Release Date 2020-04-03
- Temporal Coverage 2017-01-01T00:00:00
- License odc-by
- Granularity Person
- Contact Name Urban Institute
- Contact Email [email protected]
- Public Access Level public
Urban Extended Info
- Modified 2026-10-06
- Release Date 2020-04-03
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Geographic Level
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Data Value
High
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Data Quality
ICPSR restricted certain variables from general dissemination for confidentiality. Users interested in obtaining the restricted data must complete a restricted data use agreement with ICPSR, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain institutional review board approval or notice of exemption for their research. Apply for access to the restricted data via the ICPSR restricted data contract portal which can be accessed on the study home page.
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Urban Publications
WBNS Project Page at urban.org
The Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey: A New Data Source for Monitoring the Health and Well-Being of Individuals and Families
On Eve of 2020 Census, Many People in Hard-to-Count Groups Remain Concerned about Participating
Material Hardship among Nonelderly Adults and Their Families in 2017: Implications for the Safety Net
Homeowner and Renter Experiences of Material Hardship: Implications for the Safety Net
What Explains the Widespread Material Hardship among Low-Income Families with Children?
Working to Make Ends Meet during Good Economic Times
One in Seven Adults in Immigrant Families Reported Avoiding Public Benefit Programs in 2018
Precarious Work Schedules Could Jeopardize Access to Safety Net Programs Targeted by Work Requirements
Who Is Accessing Charitable Food in America?
- Citation Requirements Zuckerman, Stephen. Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey, United States, 2017. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2020-04-14. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37513.v1 Urban Institute. 2020. Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey. Accessible from https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/well-being-and-basic-needs-survey.
