Voter in Key States Support Expanded Unemployment Insurance

Executive Summary

At the end of July, the expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefit — passed as part of the “Coronavirus Aid and Relief Act” (CARES)
— expired. In the month of July, expanded UI provided approximately 30 million unemployed Americans an extra $600 per week. The goal of this policy was to ensure that workers would see 100 percent of their wage income replaced during the pandemic.

In a survey conducted by Data for Progress at the end of the July into early August, we polled voters in four states that will be crucial for determining whether or not Democrats are able to win control of the Senate, specifically, North Carolina, Maine, Iowa, and Arizona. As part of this, we asked voters their opinions on the expanded UI program, namely, whether they thought it was necessary and if they wanted to see the program extended until the unemployment rate falls below pre- pandemic levels. We found that voters both think that this expansion was necessary and want to see the program continued.