About 40% of Americans say they have lost their jobs or some of their income as a result of the coronavirus emergency, according to a poll released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The foundation, a left-leaning health advocacy organization, said its health tracking survey also showed huge percentages of Americans practicing social distancing and more backing the complete shutdown of many businesses as a way of flattening the infection curve.
“With coronavirus cases rising and businesses shutting down, four in 10 (39%) U.S. residents say they already have lost a job or income due to the crisis,” The foundation said. “This includes part-time workers (54%) as well as nearly half of parents with children under age 18 (47%) and those paid hourly or by the job (45%).”
The share of people sheltering in place hit 82%, with 92% saying they are practicing social distancing, up from 59% two weeks ago.
The survey was conducted March 25-30, and it reflected significant changes in the everyday health and economic condition of much of the country.
- 45% said their mental health was suffering from worry and stress, a jump from 32% two weeks ago. 20% reported a “major” impact on their mental health.
- 34% say medical care related to the coronavirus has been unattainable, while 24% said they haven’t gotten prescription drugs.
- 72% said the pandemic has disrupted their lives, up from 32% two weeks ago. Those figures hold steady regardless of sex and partisan affiliation, the foundation said.
The group said the percentage of people following some form of social distancing is now above 90% among Democrats, Republicans and independents, which it said marked an uptick from what Republicans reported doing two weeks ago.
• James Varney can be reached at jvarney@washingtontimes.com.
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