These are the topline results of a YouGov/Huffington Post survey of 1000 US adults interviewed April 18 - 21, 2014 on unemployment. The results show that most people support continued extension of unemployment benefits. The margin of error is 4.0%.
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How much have you heard about Congress letting unemployment benefits expire for people who have been unemployed more than six months at the end of last year?
Heard a lot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23%
Heard a little . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45%
Heard nothing at all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32%
Do you think people who have been unemployed for more than 6 months should receive unemployment assistance from the government, or not?
Yes, they should . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49%
No, they should not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%
During economic recessions, Congress usually extends unemployment benefits to people who have been unemployed more than 6 months, and then lets those extended benefits expire when the unemployment rate drops. Which comes closest to your opinion about what Congress should do now about unemployment benefits for those unemployed more than 6 months?
It was time to let those benefits expire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32%
Those benefits should be extended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22%
Which comes closer to your own view about people who have been unemployed for more than 6 months?
Most are trying hard to find jobs but can’t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49%
Most could find jobs if they wanted to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16%
Have you or any members of your immediate family been unemployed for more than 6 months at some point in the past 5 years?
Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45%
No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4%
