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September 7, 2020

CARES Act Renewal

In the past few weeks, ActiVote has asked for your opinion about renewing the CARES act. The answers that our users could choose from can be summarized as:

  • $600/week during the pandemic
  • $600/week for another 4 months
  • $400/week for another 4 months
  • was good, but no extension
  • should not have been enacted

We found that in ¾ of the respondents want some sort of extension of the CARES Act. However, there are some clear differences based on gender, age, education and party affiliation.

The crosstabs
Men
39%
22%
14%
17%
Women
61%
10%
20%
$600/week during pandemic$600/week for 4 more months$400/week for 4 more monthswas good, but no extensionshould not have been enacted
 See the details below →

Over 70% of women support an extension at the $600/week level, while only a minority of men (47%) feel the same way.

The crosstabs
18-29
60%
11%
10%
11%
30-49
46%
20%
21%
50-64
36%
13%
17%
17%
18%
65+
62%
10%
13%
15%
$600/week during pandemic$600/week for 4 more months$400/week for 4 more monthswas good, but no extensionshould not have been enacted
 See the details below →

More than 35% of those in the 50-64 age group feel that no extension is warranted. The elderly (65+) are most clearly divided: over 60% believe we should extend the CARES Act all the way to the end of the pandemic, while almost 30% feel that we should let it expire.

The crosstabs
High school
66%
9%
17%
Some college
52%
21%
11%
10%
Bachelor's
32%
14%
15%
21%
18%
$600/week during pandemic$600/week for 4 more months$400/week for 4 more monthswas good, but no extensionshould not have been enacted
 See the details below →

There is a significant education gap. Those with less education are stronger supporters of the CARES Act. One can wonder whether this reflects the fact that those with a higher education more often are able to work remotely and are less affected by the pandemic?

The crosstabs
Democrat
75%
12%
11%
Republican
23%
10%
19%
35%
13%
$600/week during pandemic$600/week for 4 more months$400/week for 4 more monthswas good, but no extensionshould not have been enacted
 See the details below →

There is a clear partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans, with 98% of Democrats supporting some form of extension, while 48% of Republicans are against any extension. Despite the partisan divide, it would suggest that at least extending the CARES Act for four months at $400/week will have majority support from both parties.

Overall, it seems that the question for renewal of the CARES Act is not so much whether it should be renewed, but for how long and at which level.

The Details

The answers as asked

Charts and tables use the short label at the start of each line.

  1. $600/week during pandemic: The CARES Act should have been renewed at $600/week until the end of the COVID-19 crisis.
  2. $600/week for 4 more months: The CARES Act should have been renewed for four more months at the $600/week rate.
  3. $400/week for 4 more months: The CARES Act should have been renewed for four more months, but at a rate of $400/week.
  4. was good, but no extension: The CARES Act was a good temporary measure, but should not have been extended.
  5. should not have been enacted: The CARES Act should never have been enacted in the first place.

The full crosstab table

ActiVote · CARES Act Renewal · September 7, 2020
ActiVote ActiVote users $600/week during pandemic $600/week for 4 more months $400/week for 4 more months was good, but no extension should not have been enacted
Gender Men 39% 8% 22% 14% 17%
Women 61% 10% 8% 20% 1%
Age 18-29 60% 11% 10% 11% 7%
30-49 46% 6% 20% 21% 6%
50-64 36% 13% 17% 17% 18%
65+ 62% 0% 10% 13% 15%
Education High school 66% 6% 9% 17% 1%
Some college 52% 6% 21% 11% 10%
Bachelor's 32% 14% 15% 21% 18%
Affiliation Democrat 75% 12% 11% 0% 2%
Republican 23% 10% 19% 35% 13%
Methodology. Fielded August–September 2020 among ActiVote users nationwide. Responses weighted by Demographics and Spectrum. The original workbook for this poll was later overwritten by a re-run, so the overall distribution and sample size were not preserved. The group breakdowns below were transcribed from the charts as published in September 2020. See Why trust our polls? for the methodology, disclosures and accuracy record.