Bridging Divides, Most Agree on Economic Outlook: It’s Bleak

That mounting pessimism, even among people not directly affected by the virus, highlights the hurdles facing the economy once businesses begin to reopen. If people are worried about losing their jobs, or doubt their ability to find news ones, they will be reluctant to spend, prolonging the economic malaise even if the health threat has passed.

The Times survey makes clear the severity of the damage already done. Nearly 10 percent of respondents who are not retired said they had lost a job because of the pandemic, and more than 30 percent had seen their hours cut. Over all, 33 percent of Americans of all ages said they were worse off financially than they were a year ago, up from 20 percent a month earlier.

Among those who have lost jobs, only 35 percent think they are likely to find work in the next month. Among those who are still working, 42 percent are worried about losing their jobs soon.

Republicans voice more optimism.

The recent decline in confidence cuts across political and ideological categories, separating it from other recent periods where sentiment dipped among Democrats but not Republicans. Now, moderate Republicans have turned pessimistic, even as more conservative Republicans expect the economy to fare well in coming years.

Republicans, not surprisingly, are much more likely to give Mr. Trump credit for his handling of the crisis. Some 91 percent of Republicans said they approved of Mr. Trump’s response, compared with 51 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats.

Across all party lines, about half of those surveyed said they approved of Congress’s response, and nearly three-quarters backed their own governor’s handling of the crisis.

When the poll was conducted, there was widespread support for the business shutdowns adopted in response to the virus. More than 80 percent of those surveyed said the shutdowns had been the right approach or should go even further.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/business/economy/coronavirus-economy-survey.html