The CDC’s eviction moratorium was extended to July 31, buying one extra month for renters across the country. The measure, which has prevented landlords from evicting unpaying tenants of specific financial or circumstantial criteria for many months, has been both praised and criticized for its immediate effects on U.S. residents and landlords.
In a CivicScience survey of more than 3,000 respondents, U.S. adults were extremely divided: 36% offered support while 36% shared opposition.
As with most coronavirus-related decisions made by governing bodies, the issue is fraught with political tension. Conservative-leaning and liberal-leaning individuals veer in polar opposite directions. Where 57% of liberals support the extension, 58% of conservatives oppose.
Political opinions aside, lower-income Americans show the greatest support for an extension.
The extension of the eviction moratorium is allegedly the last one U.S. residents can expect, which is likely scary news for the segments of Americans who report being worse off as a result of the pandemic, or have expressed serious concerns about their employment situation.
For some, it’s not just about employment concerns or financial hardships as an overall result of the pandemic’s impact on the economy. People who said they themselves contracted COVID-19, or they personally knew someone who did, over-index compared to the Gen Pop (18+) in support of an extension to the moratorium.
It’s a grave reminder that there are people out there who are not only suffering financially but have had to handle being sick or caring for people with COVID-19 all while trying to make ends meet.
