CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL For release: Monday, December ...

CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL For release: Monday, December 14, 2009

6:30 PM EST

THE PRICE OF 10% UNEMPLOYMENT: POLLING THE JOBLESS December 4-10, 2009

Ten percent unemployment has taken both a financial and emotional toll on those Americans who have lost jobs: being out of work has caused a life crisis for most of the unemployed ? and almost half of the jobless Americans interviewed in the latest CBS News/New York Times Poll say that crisis has been major.

Of course, the finances of most unemployed Americans are not good. Majorities have dipped into savings, cut back on expenses, curtailed doctor visits and borrowed money. Nearly half have no health insurance, and a quarter say they have been threatened with foreclosure or eviction.

But the emotional impact has also been severe. Seven in ten have suffered from higher stress as a result of being unemployed, and half have suffered anxiety or depression. More than half have felt embarrassed or ashamed about their lack of a job.

Over half of unemployed parents say their children's lives have changed as a result of their unemployment, and four in ten have noticed changes in their children's behavior.

CBS News and The New York Times interviewed a random sample of 708 adults who are out of work and looking for a new job, the individuals the 10% jobless rate represents. The longer unemployment lasts, the greater the emotional impact: Those who have been unemployed more than six months are even more likely to report many of these ill effects.

THE FINANCIAL TOLL

Coping with the effects of the economic recession has been challenging for unemployed Americans. Over eight in 10 of those out of work say their job loss has created a crisis in their life, including 46% who say it is a "major crisis." Among Americans who have been out of work for longer than six months, 57% say their unemployment has caused a major life crisis.

HAS THE LOSS OF YOUR JOB CREATED A CRISIS IN YOUR LIFE?

(among unemployed Americans)

Yes, major

46%

Yes, minor

40

No crisis

13

Nearly all unemployed Americans have had to reduce their spending, and 54% have cut back on both luxuries and necessities. Another 31% are spending less, but on luxury items only.

MADE SPENDING CUTBACKS?

(among unemployed Americans)

Yes, luxuries

31%

Yes, necessities

8

Yes, both

54

No

7

Jobless Americans have taken other measures to help cope with their financial situation, too. Majorities have taken money out of their savings, borrowed money from family or friends, and cut back on doctor's visits. Most say they have cut back on vacations too. A quarter has been on food stamps, and one in five has received food from a non-profit or religious institution.

AS A RESULT OF BEING UNEMPLOYED HAVE YOU...

(among unemployed Americans)

Yes No

Cut back on vacations

77% 5

Taken money out of any savings

60% 31

Cut back on doctor's visits or medical treatments

54% 45

Borrowed money from family or friends

53% 47

Received food stamps

26% 74

Received food from non-profit/religious org.

20% 80

Not surprisingly, more than four in five will back on their holiday spending.

In addition, half of unemployed Americans say their spouse has had to take on additional hours or another job as a result of their unemployment.

AS A RESULT OF BEING UNEMPLOYED HAS YOUR SPOUSE HAD TO WORK MORE?

(among unemployed Americans with a working spouse)

Yes

50%

No

50

While most jobless Americans say they have not been threatened with foreclosure or eviction, 26% have, including 13% who say they have lost their home.

AS A RESULT OF BEING UNEMPLOYED, HAVE YOU BEEN THREATENED WITH

FORECLOSURE OR EVICTION?

(among unemployed Americans)

Yes, and lost home

13%

Yes, but did not lose home

13

No

74

Those who have been looking for a job for six months or more are even more likely to have been threatened with foreclosure.

For many, losing their job also meant losing their health care coverage. 47% of Americans who are out of work say they don't have health insurance, and eight in 10 of them attribute that to having lost their job.

61% of unemployed Americans say affording basic medical care has been a hardship for their family.

BASIC MEDICAL CARE

(among unemployed Americans)

Affordable

34%

Hardship

61

54% say they have collected unemployment insurance, including 42% who are currently receiving benefits. But most of them ? 61% - say the benefits they receive are not enough to cover the costs of basic necessities like housing and food. And 40% think it's very likely their benefits will run out before they find a job.

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS ENOUGH TO COVER COSTS OF BASIC NECESSITIES?

(among those who are receiving unemployment benefits)

Yes

39%

No

61

Overall, 71% of the unemployed say their household's financial situation is in bad shape ? more than twice the percentage of Americans overall who say the same. Things are even worse for those who have been unemployed longer. Four in 10 of those who have been without a job for over six months say their financial situation is very bad.

Very good Fairly good Fairly bad Very bad

HOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL SITUATION

Unemployed for:

Total

6 months Over

All Unemployed

or less 6 months

13% 2%

1%

3%

56 26

27

25

20 44

52

32

11 27

19

40

THE EMOTIONAL TOLL OF UNEMPLOYMENT

Unemployment brings more than financial hardship -- it brings stress and emotional troubles, too. Nearly six in 10 say being out of work has caused both a financial and emotional crisis. Those who have been out of work longer than six months are even more likely to say it's been both a financial and emotional crisis.

FINANCIAL OR EMOTIONAL CRISIS?

(among unemployed Americans)

Financial

24%

Emotional

4

Both

57

No crisis

13

Seven in ten say their stress level is up as a result of being out of work. The longer a person has been out of work, the more likely they are to report increased stress levels.

UNEMPLOYMENT HAS MADE YOUR STRESS LEVEL...?

(among unemployed Americans)

Total

6 months

Unemployed

or less

Increase

69%

62%

Decrease

8

10

No effect

23

28

Over 6 months 80% 10 14

The jobless report specific emotional difficulties, too. A majority says they've had trouble sleeping, almost half have gotten into more arguments and almost half have felt depressed or anxious.

AS A RESULT OF BEING UNEMPLOYED HAVE YOU...

(among unemployed Americans)

Yes

No

Had trouble sleeping

55%

45

Had anxiety or depression

48%

52

Had more arguments

w/friends & family

48%

52

Almost six in ten (57%) of those out of work six months or more report anxiety, compared to 42% of those out less than six months.

Women are more likely than men to report feeling anxiety or depression.

ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION AS A RESULT OF UNEMPLOYMENT?

(among unemployed Americans)

Men

Women

Yes

45%

53%

No

55

47

Among those who report feeling depressed or anxious, just a fourth of them say they've seen a mental health professional to get help.

Even though many other people are also going through the same difficulties they are, 54% of the unemployed interviewed in the poll say they've felt embarrassed or ashamed for being out of work -- at least once in a while. One quarter feels this often.

HAVE YOU FELT EMBARRASSED ABOUT BEING UNEMPLOYED?

(among unemployed Americans)

Yes, most of the time

28%

Yes, sometimes

18

Yes, once in a while

8

No

46

UNEMPLOYMENT AT HOME: THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND THE HOUSEHOLD

When a wage-earner becomes unemployed, a whole household often feels the pain. Among the jobless with children at home, 38% report seeing changes in their child's behavior since they've lost their job.

SEEN CHANGES IN CHILD'S BEHAVIOR SINCE YOU LOST YOUR JOB?

(among unemployed with children under 18)

Yes

38%

No

56

One way unemployed parents are dealing with their children is to talk about the situation with them: most with children old enough to understand have done so. 53% have talked about their job loss with their children, 24% have not, and 21% say their children are too young to talk about it.

Most say there has been at least some change in their children's lives, and 31% say their children's lives are a lot different now.

HOW MUCH HAVE YOUR KIDS' LIVES CHANGED

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN UNEMPLOYED?

(among unemployed with children under 18)

Total

6 months Over

Unemployed

or less 6 months

A lot

31%

18%

48%

Some

25

26

22

Not much/none 41

51

29

Length of unemployment makes a great deal of difference on this. Nearly half of those out of work six months or longer report their kids' lives have changed a lot, compared to 18% of those out of work for six months or less.

Is there anything positive at all that comes from losing a job? When asked, most Americans cannot name anything. Of those who do volunteer something, it is that they spend more time with their family.

HAS ANYTHING POSITIVE HAPPENED FROM BEING UNEMPLOYED?

(among unemployed Americans)

No, nothing/Not sure

60%

Spending more time with family 21

More time for exercise

3

Chance to further education

3

65% of the unemployed report they do more household chores since they lost their job. The time spent on some other activities has not

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