What to Know
- Polls found that 42 percent of New Jersey residents and 32 percent of New Yorkers had someone in their home laid off
- The Monmouth University and Siena College polls were based on data collected from more than 700 and 800 people, respectively
- As of Monday, more than 400,000 people in both states had tested positive for the novel coronavirus
Two polls released Monday offer new perspective into the far reaching impact of the coronavirus pandemic in New York and New Jersey.
Since the beginning of the pandemic's grip on the region, millions were forced into unemployment as the result of business closures or dramatic declines in revenue as people were encouraged to stay inside their homes.
A Monmouth University poll found that 42 percent of New Jersey residents has had someone in their home lose their job. Broken down by income, the Monmouth researchers say 35 percent have a household income under $50,000, while an additional 34 percent earn between $50,000 and $100,000.
"Many New Jerseyans are just starting to feel the financial pinch, but these results suggest the economic impact will be much more widespread and particularly damaging to lower income families here than in other states," said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Monmouth's poll was conducted from a random sample of adults at least 18 years or older. The researchers spoke to 704 people.
In New York, a Siena College poll based on interviews from 803 registered voters found that 32 percent of the group either experienced a layoff or someone in their home did.
News
"While the layoffs have hit upstate and downstate nearly the same, 48 percent of Latino voters say that they and/or someone in their household has been laid off, compared to 30 percent of both white and black voters affected by layoffs,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
Siena College's sample group found that 51 percent say they personally know someone who tested positive for COVID-19, while 32 percent say they know someone who died. By Monday, New York reported 294,491 positive cases of the coronavirus and more than 17,000 deaths.
The Monmouth poll also revealed six in ten residents of New Jersey personally know someone who has COVID-19. As of Monday, 111,188 people tested positive for the virus in the state.
The national average for people who know someone with the coronavirus, according to Monmouth, is 26 percent.
