(Iowa News Service, DES MOINES, Iowa) — More than half of Iowans surveyed say new federal stimulus payments will provide immediate financial help. The Treasury Department is issuing the payments after President Donald Trump signed the latest COVID relief bill. As Congress debated the issue through the fall, nearly 3,000 people responded to a survey commissioned by the United Ways of Iowa. Fifty-one percent said a second stimulus payment would make “an important difference.” That number was 72% for those living in poverty.

Dennis Parker, executive director of the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, said the results show the country has ignored the plight of marginalized workers for too long.  “We’re in this position now because we didn’t do it before,” Parker asserted. “And having seen it, it would be criminal not to take steps to make changes that end the prospect of these kinds of problems.” Parker thinks the changes should go beyond providing livable wages, since health-care access in the pandemic has revealed racial and economic disparities.

The Iowa survey, released this month, was conducted between late September and early November. Pro-business groups contend higher wage requirements would lead to fewer workers, especially in smaller companies. But Parker said paying workers more is feasible for a lot of businesses, and can produce a more stable workforce. When considering prosperity, he said the U.S. needs to move past the traditional measuring sticks. “The fact that the stock market is doing well is little consolation for people who are facing eviction, having trouble feeding their kids,” Parker argued.

A report from the Pew Research Center released just prior to the pandemic said upper-income households in the U.S. are seeing most of the income growth, as the middle class erodes.