Democrats are about twice every bit likely as Republicans to have received food stamps at some bespeak in their lives—a participation gap that echoes the deep partisan divide in the U.S. Business firm of Representatives, which on Thursday produced a farm bill that did non include funding for the food stamp program.

Overall, a Pew Enquiry Center survey conducted belatedly last twelvemonth constitute that about 1-in-five Americans (xviii%) has participated in the food postage stamp plan, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Nearly a quarter (26%) lives in a household with a current or old food stamp recipient.

Of these, about one-in-5 (22%) of Democrats say they had received food stamps compared with x% of Republicans. About 17% of political independents say they have received food stamps.

The share of food stamp beneficiaries swells even farther when respondents are asked if someone else living in their household had ever received food stamps. According to the survey, about three in ten Democrats (31%) and about half as many Republicans (17%) say they or someone in their household has benefitted from the nutrient stamp program.

Just when the political lens shifts from partisanship to ideology, the participation gap vanishes. Self-described political conservatives were no more likely than liberals or moderates to take received food stamps (17% for each group), according to the survey.

Beyond politics, equally large or larger gaps emerge in the participation rates of many cadre social and demographic groups. For example, women were about twice every bit likely equally men (23% vs. 12%) to have received food stamps at some point in their lives. Blacks are about twice as likely equally whites to accept used this benefit during their lives (31% vs. 15%). Among Hispanics, most 22% say they accept collected food stamps.

Minority women in item are far more probable than their male counterparts to have used food stamps. About four-in-x blackness women (39%) take gotten help compared with 21% of black men. The gender-race participation gap is also wide among Hispanics: 31% of Hispanic women but fourteen% of Hispanic men received help.

Among whites, the gender-race gap is smaller. Nonetheless, white women are about twice as probable as white men to receive food postage aid (19% vs. 11%).

The survey also institute that adults 65 and older are significantly less likely than other age groups to say they have received food stamps. For example, about 18% of adults aged xviii to 29 have benefitted from this entitlement program compared with 8% of those 65 and older. Those who accept a loftier school diploma or less formal pedagogy are roughly three times more than likely than higher graduates to have been helped.

The subcontract beak passed past the House on Thursday, after a day of intense and sometimes hostile debate, was stripped of about $740 billion in funding for food stamps, setting upward a confrontation with the Senate which has approved a very different version of the legislation.

The legislation represented the first time since 1973 that a House version failed to provide support for food stamps. The vote Thursday was 216-208, with all 196 Democrats present voting to oppose the measure. Twelve Republicans besides voted against the bill.

While politically, congressional Republicans take focused on reducing spending on federal entitlement programs, the Pew Research survey establish the U.S. to be "a "bipartisan nation of beneficiaries."

The survey found that significant proportions of Democrats (lx%) and Republicans (52%) say they have benefited from a major entitlement plan at some betoken in their lives. So have nearly equal shares of cocky-identifying conservatives (57%), liberals (53%) and moderates (53%). The programs were Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, unemployment benefits and food stamps.

Rich Morin is a former senior editor focusing on social and demographic trends at Pew Research Heart.