Energy Insecurity Linked to Higher Rates of Anxiety and Depression, School of Public Policy Study Finds

Posted December 16, 2025

A new study from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy identifies energy insecurity — the inability to meet basic household energy needs — as a critical, yet often overlooked, social determinant of health.

“While we often talk about food and housing insecurity, fewer people recognize energy as a basic necessity that shapes not only comfort, but also safety and stress,” said Assistant Professor Michelle Graff, who co-authored the paper published in JAMA Network Open.

Analyzing data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, the researchers found that 43% of households experienced energy insecurity in the past year. Among respondents who reduced spending on necessities to cover energy bills, nearly 39% reported symptoms of anxiety and 32% reported symptoms of depression — more than twice the incidence among respondents who didn’t need to make that tradeoff.

“Being able to afford your home does not guarantee you can afford to safely heat, cool, or power it,” Graff said.

Such instability disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic households, renters, and families dependent on electronic medical devices, Graff said.

And while the study was not designed to explain whether energy insecurity causes mental health issues or some other dynamic is at work, Graff said it’s incontrovertible that these groups face compounding stressors. Living in inefficient housing can lead to higher bills and unsafe temperatures, disrupting sleep and health. When combined with the financial anxiety of potential utility shutoffs and the need to sacrifice food or medicine to pay bills, these trade-offs create a cycle of chronic stress, she said.

Among other recommendations, Graff said healthcare providers should start screening for energy insecurity just as they do for food insecurity.

“We view this primarily as a data-collection initiative designed to generate the evidence needed to inform future policy recommendations and program improvements,” Graff said.

Graff is continuing to explore these issues with Carter School graduate students, including recent work on state-level aid implementation with Ph.D. student Ryan Anthony and upcoming research with other students on how energy insecurity impacts eviction rates.

The article, “Energy Insecurity and Mental Health Symptoms in US Adults,” was published Oct. 27, 2025, in JAMA Network Open. It is available at https://doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.39479.