Nearly 40% of U.S. households said they faced serious financial difficulties in recent months of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing problems such as paying utility bills or credit card debt, according to a recent poll. About one-fifth have depleted all of their savings, the Wall Street Journal reported. U.S. households are struggling in many ways over a year into the coronavirus pandemic, according to the poll conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and National Public Radio. Nearly 60% of households earning less than $50,000 a year reported facing serious financial challenges in recent months. Of those, 30% lost all of their savings, according to the poll. The survey questioned about 3,600 adults in August and early September about a variety of potential problems during the pandemic and how the effects have continued in more recent months. In addition to financial concerns, respondents were asked about healthcare, education, child care and personal safety. The results show how the pandemic deepened an already divided economy in the U.S., with well-off people and businesses coming out the same or stronger while many lower-wage workers were thrust into financial crisis. The highly transmissible Delta variant slowed the U.S. economic recovery as businesses and consumers adjusted their plans. In late August, as the poll was being conducted, the Supreme Court lifted the federal government’s ban on evictions during the pandemic. Federal boosts to unemployment benefits expired in September, after the survey was completed. Close to 20% of those polled said their financial situation is better now than before the COVID-19 outbreak, compared with 32% who said their situation is worse. About half, 49%, said it stayed the same.
