Back to Work: Listening to Americans

In addition to the devastation the coronavirus pandemic has wrought in terms of lives lost, it has been one of the most economically disruptive crises in U.S. history. Among the most urgent concerns is the rising number of the long-term unemployed, with young workers heavily overrepresented among industries hardest hit by the pandemic. At the same time, income inequality has continued to rise, partly due to automation of many lower-skill jobs combined with unequal access to higher-paying jobs and the education needed to obtain them. Back to Work: Listening to Americans, a Carnegie Corporation of New York-Gallup survey, reveals that even in these deeply divided times, an overwhelming majority of Americans across political affiliations agree on at least two points: 1) Many people are at risk, and we need to help each other, and 2) We can do that by providing millions of people who have lost their jobs during the pandemic with a combination of paid work, education, and training opportunities over the next few years.