Janelle Irwin Taylor
One in four Tampa Bay workers have been laid off or furloughed from their jobs, according to a survey by the Tampa Bay Partnership, Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, United Way Suncoast and the University of South Florida’s Muma College of business.
Without income from those jobs, respondents indicated they could only support their households for approximately 19 days.
Of those surveyed, one in three reported a reduction in pay or hours worked and could only support their households for a median of 28 days.
The survey, conducted by Downs & St. Germain Research in Tallahassee, surveyed 384 residents in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties April 1-2 and included a demographically representative set of the region.
“This survey shows, very clearly, that residents of Tampa Bay have a high level of concern about the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 and they believe we have a long way to go before we put this crisis in the rear-view mirror,” said Tampa Bay Partnership President and CEO Rick Homans.
The Partnership and its collaborators will conduct the survey every two weeks to track the impact of the novel coronavirus on the region as well as Tampa Bay residents’ sentiment on the pandemic, elected officials and government bodies, their future outlook and the post-coronavirus functionality.
The survey also found that 96% of Tampa Bay residents are somewhat or very concerned about the pandemic with most, 76% the most concerned with health risks. Of those respondents, 54% were worried about access to food or supplies and 48% with being able to pay their bills.
Of those respondents who have been laid off or furloughed from a job, 69% lack confidence in their ability to find a job with comparable pay after the crisis has passed.
The majority of respondents believed the crisis will be worse in 30 days, but better within 60 days with 80% saying they believe the region is less than half-way through the crisis.
Nine in 10 residents indicated support from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ statewide stay-at-home order and his executive orders requiring self-quarantine for visitors traveling to Florida from known virus hotspots.
Seven in ten residents support a national shutdown order handed down by President Donald Trump as well as criminal penalties for those who would violate it.
About 70% of respondents indicated confidence the $2.2 trillion federal relief package will benefit low-income and unemployed residents and small businesses while 51% were either unsure or didn’t believe the stimulus package would personally benefit them.
The survey a 5% margin of error.
