Bipartisan Policy Center - Morning Consult Poll: Unemployment Insurance and Caregiving Responsibilities During COVID-19

Abby McCloskey, Ben Gitis, Bipartisan Policy Center, July 2020

Workers are facing unprecedented caregiving responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely related to school and child care closures. Many workers lack options aside from unemployment insurance (UI) for balancing caregiving responsibilities with their jobs. A quarter of UI recipients—roughly 8 million workers—primarily spend their time caregiving, and caregiving is the primary barrier to reemployment among parents on UI who are not looking for a job. As the nation grapples with reopening, Congress can better support workers’ engagement in the labor force and their caregiving responsibilities.

Survey Parameters:

Morning Consult surveyed 1,500 persons receiving unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was fielded on June 19, 2020 – July 6, 2020.