Virus hurt many financially
New poll finds 4 out of 10 Americans still hurting from the pandemic and its effects
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Roughly 4 in 10 Americans say they’re still feeling the financial impact of the loss of a job or income within their household as the economic recovery remains uneven one year into the coronavirus pandemic.
A new poll by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research provides further evidence that the pandemic has been devastating for some Americans, while leaving others virtually unscathed or even in better shape when it comes to their finances. The outcome often depended on the type of job a person had and their income level before the pandemic.
The pandemic has particularly hurt Black and Latino households, as well as younger Americans, some of whom are now going through the second major economic crisis of their adult lives.
“I just felt like we were already in a harder position, so (the pandemic) kind of threw us even more under the dirt,” said Kennard Taylor, a 20-year-old Black college student at Jackson College. Taylor lost his job as a server in the campus cafeteria in the first weeks of the pandemic and struggled to make rent and car payments while continuing his studies. He had to move back in with his family.
The poll shows that about half of Americans say they have experienced at least one form of household income loss during the pandemic, including 25% who experienced a household layoff and 31% who say someone in the household was scheduled for fewer hours. Overall, 44% said their household experienced income loss from the pandemic that is still having an impact on their finances.
The poll results are consistent with recent economic data. Roughly 745,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits the week of Feb. 22, according to the Labor Department, and roughly 18 million Americans remain on the unemployment rolls.
Thirty percent of Americans say their current household income is lower than it was when the pandemic began, while 16% say it is higher and 53% say there’s been no change. About half of those who experienced any form of household income loss during the pandemic say their current household income is lower than it was.
Logan DeWitt, 30, kept his job with the government through the pandemic because he could work remotely. But his wife, a childcare worker, lost her’s and after months of searching for a new one has returned to school. Their financial situation was further complicated by the fact their first child was born in the early months of the pandemic.
“We had plans to get a house. Had to scrap that idea, and we consolidated down to just one car. We do a lot of cooking from home and buying in bulk,” DeWitt said.
About 1 in 10 Americans say they couldn’t make a housing payment in the last month because of the pandemic, and roughly as many say that of a credit card bill. Overall, about a quarter of Americans say they’ve been unable to pay one or more bills in the last month.
Thirty-eight percent of Hispanics and 29% of Black Americans have experienced a layoff in their household at some point during the past year, compared with 21% of white Americans.
Forty percent of Americans under 30 report lower income now, compared to March 2020.
When General Motors ended a half-century of building cars in Ohio’s blue-collar corner, 1,600 workers had to decide whether to accept the automaker’s offer to move to another factory.
Those with enough seniority retired. A few started new careers. Everyone else from GM’s shuttered assembly plant in Lordstown went as far away as Texas, Tennessee and Missouri, some leaving behind their families so they could hang onto their pensions and high-paying union jobs.
Now, two years later, many of those autoworkers are finding that their lives and futures are just as unsettled.
Worries about the fast-changing auto industry and the stability of their jobs have left hundreds still unsure whether to uproot entirely and sell their homes. Some are spending every weekend driving hundreds of miles back to Ohio to see their children. Others are holding out hope that the next contract will give them a chance for an early retirement.
No matter their situation, they all face the same question: is it worth chasing a job always seen as a sure path to the American dream?
For Tiffany Davis, she figured that by now she and her two children would be settling into a new place with her husband, Tom. That was the plan — to join him when the past school year ended — after he transferred to GM’s Corvette factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Instead, she’s been a single mom much of the past 18 months to their two children back in Ohio, where she also teaches fifth
grade. Only on weekends are they all together when Tom makes the 16-hour round trip home.
Even then, they only get one full day together that’s usually filled with catching up on household chores.
“I knew this would be difficult, but I could not have anticipated how difficult it would be. I’m worn out and exhausted,” Tiffany Davis said. “We’re always under this umbrella of stress.”
Tom Davis, 39, has been home more than expected this year because of work shutdowns caused by the pandemic and supply issues. That’s added more worries, and comes asGM is beginning a transition to making battery-powered vehicles that will need fewer workers.
Tom, who has about 11 years before he can retire, said he and his wife don’t know what will come next now that their plans to move to Kentucky are on hold.
Do they continue living apart? Do they uproot their kids? Whose job is more stable? Should he transfer to a closer plant when he’s eligible in another year?
“I still have days where I’m like, ‘Did I do the right thing?’ ” he said.
Matt Moorhead tried to stick it out.
Like so many others, the 48-year-old Moorhead didn’t want to uproot his wife from her career or their daughter from high school. And he didn’t want to walk away from a job that he was counting on to put his two children through college.
So he went by himself in the summer of 2019 to Lansing where he paid for an apartment on top of his mortgage back in Ohio. His days were spent staring at the TV and eating frozen meals “just so you could go to work.”“It was not the life I was planning on living,” he said.
After six months of traveling back and forth and “trying to be a dad through a cellphone,” his wife convinced him to quit.
They’re now getting by on savings and his wife’s job at a hospital. What happens next for Moorhead, after 24 years at GM, is still up in the air. He spent last summer managing a golf course.
We know that many in the area are struggling — not just small businesses but our customers as well. However, artists are especially struggling as we reach the one-year mark of COVID-19.
Just when we thought we were seeing a glimmer of light at the end of this long tunnel, more threatening variants of the virus began popping up all over the world. And while cases were down in Virginia, they peaked following the holiday season. What this means is that the state of our economy is still uncertain and that continued support for artisans is vital if we are to survive another year in this pandemic.
Foot traffic and events have not returned to normal and small businesses are continuing to close at an alarming rate. This diminishes opportunities for artisans in the area to sell their goods.
While, of course, I too sometimes shop at big box stores and national online retail- ers, local businesses are the backbone of our economy and have already faced more hardships than one can imagine.
It is imperative that consumers make a concerted effort to shop local and directly support local entrepreneurs, including artists and makers.
As a storefront for local artists and makers, many local entrepreneurs depend on shops such as For All Handkind to sell their work. Despite the challenges we are facing, we remain dedicated to doing everything we can to support them. Since the pandemic hit, we have worked hard to promote their work in unique ways and keep our business afloat. Marketing was previously on the backburner for us; however, businesses such as ours must reach for every tool at our fingertips to navigate this pandemic.
We have been utilizing both Facebook and Instagram daily to keep our artists connected to the community.
More recently the Instagram “Shop” tool has allowed customers to click on and purchase items directly from their phone. This tool was especially helpful during the shutdown.
While there will never be a replacement for shopping in person when it comes to one-of-a-kind art, investing time and energy in our social media marketing efforts has been worthwhile and served as a lifeline during the closure, as I know it has for many other businesses looking to connect with customers online as people spend more time at home.
Now, almost a year after COVID-19 closures and as the vaccine rolls out, we have started to schedule some private, socially distanced workshops again led by artists we showcase for anyone interested in learning a new skill. This allows for a safer and more personal experience with the opportunity to meet some of the makers featured in the store and is just one of many ways that residents can support local, as businesses work to get back to “normal.”
Whether you’re ordering your favorite artist’s work online from the comfort of your home, or attending socially distanced artisan workshops, there are many ways to support the creatives who make Hampton Roads special. If you can’t afford to purchase their work at this time, supporting them on social media by liking or sharing their posts is a simple way to help out that can make a big difference.
Local artisans are the lifeblood of our community and it is crucial that we continue to show them our support, now more than ever.
Kimberly McKinnis