Half in Ten and NELP Release Poll on Public Attitudes on Unemployment Insurance

On Monday, November 15th, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the Half in Ten Campaign, and the National Employment Law Project released a new poll by Hart Research Associates on Americans’ views about continuing unemployment insurance amid concerns over the deficit and federal spending. Click here to read a memo on the poll results and here for slides explaining the results of the poll.

The poll, conducted after the mid-term elections by national polling firm Hart Research Associates, comes just days before the November 30th deadline when all federal unemployment benefit programs will expire - and cut off two million jobless Americans in December alone - if Congress fails to renew them.

The poll finds that Americans overwhelmingly believe Congress should continue providing federal unemployment insurance to workers who have exhausted their state benefits and are still unemployed, and they firmly reject the idea that deficit concerns should lead to cuts in support for the jobless when the unemployment rate remains so high.

The poll specifically finds that when asked which statement they agree with more, 73% of voters agree that “With unemployment at nine point six percent and millions still out of work, it is too early to start cutting back benefits for workers who lost their jobs,” while only 24% of voters agree that “With the federal deficit over one trillion dollars, it is time for the government to start cutting back on unemployment benefits for the unemployed.” Additionally, two-thirds (67%) believe the programs should continue until there is a significant drop in the jobless rate.

The poll also reveals diverse and strong support for the federal benefit programs across all geographic regions, educational and socioeconomic levels, political affiliations and races.

• Democrats and independents, for example, overwhelmingly agree that it is too early to cut benefits (83% and 80%, respectively), as do a majority of Republicans (55%).

• Democrats (82%), independents (70%), and a majority of midterm Republican voters (54%) all believe Congress should continue to provide benefits until the unemployment situation improves.

• African-Americans (79%) and Hispanics (68%) show particularly strong support for renewing the federal unemployment benefit programs.

The post-election survey, in which nearly three in four Americans say it is too early to cut jobless benefits, comes just days before the November 30th deadline to renew the federal unemployment insurance programs - when two million workers will be cut off next month alone if Congress does not act.