Joblessness Causing Crisis, Cutbacks and Stress for Unemployed Americans

2 years ago

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Forty-six percent of Americans who have lost jobs in the current recession say it has created a major crisis in their lives with 69 percent adding that it has increased their stress level, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted Dec. 4-10. Forty percent said loss of jobs had led to minor crises in their lives while 13 percent said it had not resulted in a crisis.

Fifty-five percent of unemployed Americans have had trouble sleeping, 48 percent reported bouts of anxiety or depression, and 48 percent have had more arguments with family and friends. Thirty-eight percent say they have seen changes in their children's behavior as a result of their joblessness, the survey found.

An overwhelming majority (93 percent) say they have cut back on luxuries, necessities or both. Fifty-four percent cut back on doctor's visits or medical treatments, 53 percent borrowed money from family or friends and 60 percent have tapped into their savings to help get by. More than three-quarters have cut back on vacations.

Six in 10 find unemployment benefits insufficient to cover the cost of basic necessities.

While 56 percent of all Americans say their household financial situation is fairly good and another 13 percent describe it as very good, 71 percent of those who have been unemployed for six months or less call their finances fairly or very bad, and as do 72 percent of those without a job for more than six months.

A plurality of the jobless (39 percent) believe the employment picture will improve, 22 percent expect it to get worse and 36 percent predict it will remain the same. Forty-six percent believe that the jobs lost in their communities will return while 40 percent do not. In the industrial Midwest, which has been particularly hard-hit, 52 percent of the unemployed don't expect to see jobs return.

Fifty-three percent are very or somewhat confident they will get a new job as good as the last one, but that number falls to 41 percent among workers over 45.

Filed Under: Economy, Polls, Poll Watch, Unemployment, Jobs

Tagged: dailyguidance

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