For Immediate Release
September 29, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
NEW POLLING: ‘Struggling’ Voters Express Bipartisan Agreement for Government Approaches to Economic Recovery
Omidyar Network Launches New Economic Tracking Survey, Finds 40 Percent of Households Suffering from Loss of Job, Hours, Pay due to COVID
Washington, DC -– Describing both their household financial situations and the US economy as “struggling,” American voters across the political spectrum agree on the actions the government should take to prompt economic recovery, according to the new Omidyar Network Economic Tracking Survey.
“Omidyar Network’s Economic Tracking Survey will monitor changes in voters’ perceptions and experiences related to the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic over the coming months,” said Beth Kanter, Chief Advocacy & Strategic Communications Officer of Omidyar Network. “Not surprisingly, we found that many people are still under extreme financial pressure as a result of the virus. But we also found that, even in an environment of extreme partisanship, Democrats and Republicans largely agree on the best solutions to climb out of this crisis.”
The poll found widespread support for a variety of government actions, but especially those centered around workers and investment. More than three-quarters of US voters surveyed agreed it is important that the government develop a coordinated national strategy on a COVID vaccine and tests (86%); focus on what’s best for workers, as opposed to large corporations (86%); provide more federal funding to states for COVID relief (83%); help businesses stay open through subsidies and tax breaks (82%); Spend whatever it takes to get people and small businesses back on their feet (80%); rebuild our economy so it’s more inclusive and equitable (80%); and provide paid time off and other help for people who care for a spouse, parent or child (76%).
Voters clearly worry “the economy will take years to recover,”(72%). When asked to pick two concerns that worry them the most, voters ranked “economic recovery” right after “contracting the coronavirus” (26% and 36% respectively).
Nearly one-third (32%) of voters have had trouble paying household bills due to the pandemic. A majority (52%) of voters have cut back on household spending, while 25% have applied for government assistance, and 23% have sold possessions to try and make ends meet.
Forty percent of voters live in households in which someone has lost a job, hours or pay during the pandemic. These are disproportionately younger people and people of color: more than half (56%) are under age 35; 59% are Latinx; and 49% are Black. More than half (51%) of voters in this group have looked for a new job, and 46% have applied for government assistance.
Omidyar Network’s Economic Tracking Survey was designed, conducted and analyzed by GBAO Strategies. The poll was conducted via online survey from September 12-16, 2020 and will run on a monthly basis over the next several months. One thousand (1,000) interviews were completed with registered voters, and an additional 150 interviews with voters in households where jobs, hours, or pay have been lost because of the coronavirus. The sample is representative of registered voters nationally along lines of party identification, gender, region, age, race/ethnicity, education, and other characteristics. Of those responding, 40% identified as Democrat, 28% as Independent and 32% as Republican.
Full toplines for September’s poll can be found here.
Omidyar Network believes an updated capitalism must place individuals, community, and societal well-being at the center of our economy, and has offered an alternative vision for an economy. Read more about Our Call to Reimagine Capitalism in America HERE.
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Established by philanthropists Pam and Pierre Omidyar, Omidyar Network is a social change venture that has committed more than $1 billion to innovative for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations since 2004. Omidyar Network works to reimagine critical systems and the ideas that govern them, and to build more inclusive and equitable societies in which individuals have the social, economic, and democratic power to thrive.
