Broad public support for coronavirus aid package

Plus, Biden viewed positively on many issues March 13, 2021 Weekly Roundup The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ Biden viewed positively on many issues, but public is less confident he can unify country Nearly two months into his presidency, Joe Biden has a positive job approval rating and draws confidence from majorities of the public on his ability to handle a range of issues, especially the coronavirus outbreak. About two-thirds of Democrats (68%) say the Democratic Party should be accepting of Democrats who openly criticize Biden, but fewer than half of Republicans (43%) say the Republican Party should be accepting of officials who openly criticize Donald Trump. Overall, Americans view the Democratic Party more favorably than the GOP, but neither party is viewed favorably by a majority of the public. Broad public support for coronavirus aid package; just a third say it spends too much A sizable majority of U.S. adults (70%) say they favor the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Only about three-in-ten oppose the plan, which provides economic aid to businesses, individuals and state and local governments. The package draws support from 94% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans. A majority of Americans say the administration made a good faith effort working with GOP congressional leaders on the plan. See all coronavirus research A majority of Americans expect it will be at least a year before life returns to the way it was before COVID-19 Most Americans are not optimistic about a quick return to the way things were before the coronavirus outbreak. Nearly six-in-ten (57%) say it will be a year or more before things mostly operate as they did before the pandemic struck the U.S., including 14% who expect it will take more than two years. Separately, about eight-in-ten Americans say they expect it will take one to two years (46%) or more than two years (35%) for the nation’s job situation to recover to where it was before the outbreak. Long-term unemployment has risen sharply in U.S. amid the pandemic, especially among Asian Americans Even amid signs of improvement in the U.S. labor market, about four-in-ten unemployed workers had been out of work for more than six months as of February 2021, about double the share in February 2020. Nearly half of unemployed Asian workers had been out of work for more than six months as of the fourth quarter of 2020, compared with 21% in the fourth quarter of 2019. Black unemployed workers had the next-highest long-term unemployment rate, followed by White and Hispanic unemployed workers. Amid a pandemic and a recession, Americans go on a near-record homebuying spree The American dream of homeownership has not been dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn it has caused. There were an estimated 82.8 million owner-occupied households in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2020, up 2.1 million from a year earlier, matching the largest net increase on record. Black Americans stand out for their concern about COVID-19; 61% say they plan to get vaccinated or already have When it comes to raising the minimum wage, most of the action is in cities and states, not Congress The changing face of Congress in 7 charts From our research 94% The share of current members of the House who have a bachelor’s degree or more education, along with 100% of current senators. Support Pew Research Center In times of uncertainty, good decisions demand good data. Please support Pew Research Center with a contribution on the Center's behalf to our parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts. DONATE Newsletter preferences View in browser Unsubscribe Facebook Twitter Instagram Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. © 2021 Pew Research Center