High Confidence Among Jobless Americas During Pandemic

• Author: Jeffrey Simmons
• Posted: 2024-08-19

The current Covid-19 virus pandemic is global and affecting multiple nations. It’s having drastic effects on a multitude of different areas economically, but perhaps no economy in the world has experienced a drop as precipitous as the United States. Not only is this huge drop more impactful in the USA because it’s the world’s largest economy, but also because it fell more quickly than basically any other economy on the planet. As soon as President Trump made the call, along with over 40 state govenors to close down everything nonessentially, people started to lose their jobs by the millions.

Since March, there have been over 30 million new unemployment claims in the United States, and with stimulus funds to be paid out as well as a federal increase to all unemployment payments up to $600 per week, the government is stretched very thin and overextended on money they’re spending. Though, surprisingly, despite all the doom and gloom from media, and the fact millions of Americans are suffering, the vast majority of the nation’s unemployed are very confident that the economy will bounce back and that they will return to their jobs once the virus flat-lines and the nonessentials get to open back up.

According to poll released in Forbes, 80% of Americans are confident that they will return to their jobs. These are not just regular Americans off the streets, some of whom may still have their jobs and may still be making money. These numbers are from the people who actually lost their jobs and are struggling.

To the shock of mainstream media all over the nation, and even a lot of politicians, the American people are apparently showing a tremendously resilient spirit through these times, assured that they’re going to pull out of this mess and be okay. This sort of attitude can certainly be helpful, especially if it’s as infectious as the virus itself.

What Makes People So Optimistic

A lot of economic experts are currently wondering why there’s not even more panic among America’s unemployed. After all, just earlier this week the world watched as tens of thousands of jobless Americans rallied and protested while demanding the economy open back up. However, as one economic expert succinctly put it, “Thousands are not millions.” It seems the bulk of the people are very confident, with only that other 20% panicked and angry enough to protest. While still a large number in the minority, that overwhelming majority being confident is objectively a good thing for the sake of the national fabric.

A lot of Americans, just a tick above 50%, actually claim that it’s Donald Trump’s daily press briefings that are making them calm. While people can argue and quibble about what President Trump did, or said, or the timeline behind it all, one thing that’s an objective fact is that Trump has preached a message of calm, ensuring Americans every single day that we’re strong enough to get through this, and that we’ll all be all right. For millions of Americans, jobless or not, this is the calming influence they need to find normality.

Others tend to find that calming center in staying home with their families and being surrounded by their loved ones. As one Twitter user put it, “A good thing to come from this, I’m getting to spend a lot of time with my grandchildren, so I will accept these blessings.” This is a sentiment shared among many, which keeps confidence high.

Though perhaps the biggest reason for the confidence is the fact that America’s economy was only recently booming. In only the past three years, millions of manufacturing jobs Obama said would never come back happened to come back. The Stock Market was reaching new record highs every month. It was a boom period. And many Americans are sure that as soon as we get past this virus, that might all return.

The Reality of Change

The confidence of Americans doesn’t have much effect on whether the economy will bounce back or not. Unless small businesses and nonessential industries can keep their doors open during this economic recession, the fact is that millions of Americans will not have a job to go back to. This is a potential huge problem, and nobody’s attitudes will make a difference here. It’s all about the money they’re able to spend; or, more accurately, the money they currently do not have.

Time will tell the tale on the economy, but for right now, most unemployed Americans are confident.