Although lawmakers and the Trump administration have been unable to agree on the next coronavirus relief package, which could potentially include stimulus checks, most Americans think the federal government should issue another round of economic impact payments.
In a survey conducted between August 3 and August 11, 70% of respondents said they supported the payments, while just 17% said they did not. The proposal received majority support from those in both political parties and independents, as well as from those in all age groups (see the chart below).
Aske about the size of the checks, most said they should be $900 or larger.
In a separate set of questions, Gallup asked about unemployment insurance payments and their effect on people’s willingness to return to work. Respondents were shown different levels of supplemental benefits payments, ranging from $150 per week to $450 per week, and asked whether they would return to their previous jobs. Similar to numerous other studies that examined the effect of the $600 per week supplement paid by the federal government until the end of July, the Gallup researchers found that the level of unemployment support had little effect on their interest in returning to work.
“The survey results may not indicate how people might actually behave under the different circumstances, but to the extent they do predict behavior, they suggest relatively few workers would choose to stay home due to greater federal assistance rather than head back to work,” Gallup said.
