Nearly Half Of Americans Believe Jobs Lost During Pandemic Won’t Return As US Faces Economic Downturn

A stunning 47% of Americans whose families dealt with a layoff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic believe those jobs won’t return, according to a poll released Friday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The survey also reveals that 72% of Americans would prefer restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus instead of lifting those measures to boost the economy. Only 27% believe the economy should take top priority over measures to limit new infections.

COVID-19 cases have spiked in sunbelt states such as California, Arizona, Texas and Florida, hurting the nation’s economic recovery. Lawmakers are currently discussing a new stimulus package, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that the next bill would be focused on “kids, jobs and healthcare.”

The White House and McConnell have said the next stimulus bill would cost $1 trillion, but this price tag has concerned some Republicans. Both Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have been reluctant to back stimulus legislation that would add to the nation’s ballooning national debt.

In May, Democrats in the House passed the $3 trillion Heroes Act, expanding unemployment benefits, providing another round of direct payments and allocating federal aid to state and local governments. Both McConnell and President Trump have called the plan “dead on arrival.”

About 20% of the American workforce, or 30 million people, are currently unemployed, as the U.S. faces its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression due to the virus. The unemployment rate reached 11.1% in June, but the figure is expected to be higher in July.