Harvard Study Argues Stimulus Checks Should Be Targeted For Low-Income Families

President Biden's new almost $2 trillion COVID relief package is set to include $1,400 stimulus checks to help families during the pandemic. Households could get $3,000 extra for children.

But a new study from a Harvard-based research group argues those checks should only go to lower-income families who need it most.

John Friedman is the founding co-director of Opportunity Insights — the research group that conducted the study — and a professor of economics and public policy at Brown University. He said the study's conclusions are based on what he learned from taking a close look at what people did with the last round of stimulus checks a month ago.

He joined WBUR's Morning Edition to discuss the study.