Most 2020 swing state voters want more direct payments during coronavirus, CNBC/Change Research poll finds

About three-quarters of likely voters in 2020 election battleground states support sustained direct payments to Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new CNBC/Change Research poll. 

Across the key states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, 74% of respondents approve of continuing government relief payments to Americans until the country can safely resume economic activity, the States of Play survey found. Only 22% of likely voters in those states disapprove. 

The poll surveyed 3,544 likely voters across the six states from May 1 to 3, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points.

The $2 trillion package passed in March, which aimed to rescue a U.S. economy ravaged by efforts to contain the outbreak, included direct deposits or checks of up to $1,200 for individuals and $500 for every child. As Congress considers its next potential relief bill in the coming weeks, Democratic leaders will likely push for at least one more stimulus payment to Americans — though Republican lawmakers have grown more wary of massive federal spending to respond to the crisis.

Throughout the CNBC/Change Research poll, Democratic and Republican voters diverged on a range of topics, from how concerned they are about the coronavirus to whether the economy is in a recession and what precautions they are taking during the pandemic. Even so, respondents across the ideological spectrum backed more direct payments as the economy crumbles. 

Nearly all Democrats surveyed, 96%, said they support sustained payments, as did 74% of independents. A majority of GOP respondents, 53%, also said they approve of more money going directly to Americans. 

At the same time, not all of those voters who expect to get money as part of the March package have received it. About 6 in 10 respondents, 61%, said they have received their direct payment. Another 24% said they expect to get one in the future, while 11% responded that they do not expect to receive one. 

The push for more stimulus payments comes as business shutdowns designed to slow the Covid-19 infection rate and ease the burden on the health-care system devastate American workers. Private payrolls plummeted in April, dropping by more than 20 million in the worst month ever for ADP’s jobs report. The U.S. employment report for April is due for release Friday. 

The CNBC/Change survey illustrates the economic carnage the coronavirus has left in swing states. Across the six battlegrounds, 37% of respondents said they or a member of their household lost a job or were furloughed because of the outbreak. 

Half of likely voters said they or someone in their household has lost wages or seen their salary cut due to the pandemic. 

Michigan and Pennsylvania felt the effects most keenly. In Michigan and Pennsylvania, 46% and 40% of respondents, respectively, said they or a member of their household has lost a job or been furloughed. 

People of color have taken the biggest hit in the job market in the six states. Nearly half, or 47%, of black voters surveyed said they or a family member have lost a job or been furloughed. More than a third, or 39%, of Hispanic respondents said the same. 

That compares with 35% of white respondents. 

— Graphic by CNBC’s John Schoen.

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