Following the passage of a second stimulus package in December in response to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, 79% of U.S. adults say another economic assistance package will be necessary. Just 20% say another package will not be needed.
The level of support for an additional package today is nearly identical to the share of Americans (80%) who said more coronavirus aid was needed in the weeks leading up to passage of a $900 billion stimulus bill late last year, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
While majorities of both Republicans and Democrats say they think another economic assistance package will be necessary, Republicans are less likely to say this.
President-elect Joe Biden has said he will push for a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package once in office. To measure support among Americans for new stimulus legislation just weeks after the last one was approved, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,360 U.S. adults from Jan. 8 to 12, 2021. Everyone who took part in the survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology.
Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology.
Nearly two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (65%) say an additional package will be necessary, compared with about nine-in-ten (92%) Democrats and Democratic leaners who say more coronavirus aid will be needed.
Moderate and liberal Republicans (77%) are more likely than conservative Republicans (56%) to say more COVID-19 aid will be needed. Large majorities of both conservative and moderate Democrats (89%) and liberal Democrats (96%) say additional assistance will be needed.
As was the case in opinions about the previous coronavirus aid package, higher-income adults – particularly higher-income Republicans – are less likely than those with lower family incomes to view more coronavirus aid as necessary.
Nearly nine-in-ten adults (88%) in lower-income households say an additional package will be necessary, while smaller majorities of those in middle- (78%) and upper-income households (70%) say the same.
However, the relationship between family income and views of additional economic aid is strongest among Republicans and Republican leaners. A large majority of Republicans in lower-income households (81%) say additional aid will be necessary. A smaller share of Republicans in upper-income households (48%) say the same.
Nearly identical shares of Democrats across all income groups say that a third economic assistance package is necessary.
Note: Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology.
