Constanza Blasco

Exploratory Essay- The impact of Covid 19 on Socioeconomic Classes

The COVID-19 pandemic had the whole universe in a chokehold for about a year and a half.

Countries from all over the world were impacted by the situation and suffered momentarily loss.

Over the past couple of years, the economy went through different stages. The issue of its long-term

impact on the United States is discussed from several perspectives. Several articles published by Fox

News sustain that as fatal as the Coronavirus was, it turned out to be beneficial for the economy since

the poverty rate lowered resulting in its relief. One of the reporters, Audrey Cockling, defended this

idea through her writing. In her article, she centers around the economic impact and expresses that it

has been advantageous. However, since the checks have already been apportioned, and

unemployment benefits are reducing, they state that the poverty reduction caused by Covid relief

may only last for a short time. Most articles published by CNN have a different position regarding

this matter. The opposition is concerned with the problems the pandemic generated for the people.

Michell Toh, a CNN reporter, wrote an article centered on the 100 million individuals that were

pushed into poverty and the current struggles they face to escape it. She also criticized the first

posture and points out the inequality between socioeconomic classes. She stated that it was

exclusively beneficial for the people in higher socioeconomic classes since only the ultra-rich

became wealthier. A better understanding of both sides and the underlying issues of the pandemic’s

impact are important to fully grasp the state we are at.

The pandemic’s impact has been a topic of study and conversation for a couple of years now.

Sources from CNN, Fox News, and NPR agree that this period was highly significant for the

economy. Their articles describe the beginning of this time; the phase of the pandemic in which the

government and healthcare restrictions were set, and companies started to fall apart due to the lack of
clientele. They reference a significant increment in the unemployment rate throughout 2020, which

was one of the main contributions to the fast-rising rates of poverty in that year. Some sources such

as the article written by Michelle Toh described that as time passed, the virus generated an immense

emotional impact as well. In her article, she recognized that the virus proved itself to be deadly by

taking the lives of millions of people across the US and the world, which had a grave effect on

people emotionally. She also emphasized that the whole nation, especially groups from low social

classes, was facing extreme health, emotional and economic challenges. The articles describe the

lowest point of the nation, in which most affected groups hit their lowest point together and express

the different positions regarding the subject.

The “lowest point” of the pandemic is a popular topic among articles. Both CNN and Fox News

dive into the topic through their articles. Fox News maintains an optimistic perspective and centers

around the room created for people to grow nationwide, while the CNN article focuses on the

negative effects it had long-term-wise for the different social classes. Audrey Cockling, a Fox News

reporter, wrote an article titled “Experts Project Record Low Poverty in 2021 Resulting from COVID

Relief”, in which she referenced the impact covid had on socioeconomic classes. The writer

maintained an optimistic perspective about this aspect. “These are really large reductions in poverty

— the largest short-term reductions we’ve seen” (Cockling). The article focused on the economic

growth that would emerge from the pandemic. Although she shared and focused on this aspect, she

also agreed with Michelle Toh, on the possibility of poverty rates rising once again. “Because the

checks have already been dolled out and virus-driven increases in food stamps and unemployment

benefits are nearing their end, researchers also estimate that the significant poverty reduction may be

short-lived” (Cocking). The article mentions the possibility of the poverty rates increasing without

breaking its optimistic posture in the rest of it.

 Other sources such as the ones written by reporters from CNN, took a different turn. They centered

around more profound and personal consequences that the different socioeconomic classes had to

deal with due to the coronavirus. Toh wrote an article titled “The pandemic pushed nearly 100

million people into poverty. They're struggling to escape” where she described the long-term

consequences that the pandemic’s lowest point has had on the population, especially groups with low

socioeconomic status (SES). While Cockling’s took an optimistic turn, Toh’s article maintains a

more pessimistic point of view of how the lowest point of the pandemic has affected the population

across the country. "Globally, the increase in poverty that occurred in 2020 due to Covid still lingers,

and the Covid induced poor in 2021 continues to be 97 million people." (Toh). Her article was also

more personal and engaged with the affected communities by sharing some interviews of people with

low socioeconomic status who have been personally affected by the pandemic. “As the couple

looked for new ways to earn a living, they struggled to adjust. They tried to find a loan to start a

small business, but at first, no one was able or willing to help. Some local nonprofit organizations

asked for collateral, which they didn't have.” (Toh, CNN) She focused on the struggles the pandemic

generated for different families rather than supporting the idea that it created room for them to grow.

Other sources maintained neutral postures regarding the impact of covid on socioeconomic

classes. Sources such as NPR presented their audience with both the benefits and the downsides the

pandemic had for socioeconomic classes without looking at the situation through a political lense.

Greg Rosalsky, an NPR journalist, published an article called “Amid Pandemic, Here’s What

Researchers Have Learned About the Economy”, in which he described both the positive and

negative sides of the situation. He acknowledged the grave loss that emerged from the rise in

unemployment rates. “ In April, the unemployment rate hit 14.7% — the most disastrous figure since

the Great Depression. Over 20 million Americans had lost their jobs or been furloughed.”

(Rosalsky). He also referenced the short decline in poverty that Cockling described in her article.
“And yet something crazy happened — the national poverty rate actually declined.” (Rosalsky). He

expressed that if the government had not acted, poverty would have risen over 2.5 percentage points

and would have impacted lower socioeconomic classes more severely. “Since the expiration of some

of the federal government's assistance this summer, the poverty rate has been ticking back up,

erasing the decline during the first phase of the pandemic.”

All articles express that the pandemic has had a significant impact worldwide. They acknowledge

that because of the quarantine, millions of people lost their jobs, which

contributed to the fast rising rates of poverty in that year. The population reached a very low point

and has been in the process of a “recovery”, from which several perspectives emerged. All three

postures recognize the shift that occurred as a consequence of this virus. A better understanding of all

sides and the underlying issues of the pandemic’s impact are important to fully grasp the state we are

at.

Works Cited
Conklin, Audrey. “Experts Project Record Low Poverty in 2021 Resulting from Covid Relief.” Fox

News, FOX News Network, 31 July 2021, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/record-low-

poverty-2021-covid-relief.

Toh, Michelle. “The Pandemic Pushed Nearly 100 Million People in Poverty. They're Struggling to

Escape.” CNN, Cable News Network, 27 Dec. 2021,

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/26/business/global-poverty-covid-pandemic-intl-hnk/

index.html.

Rosalsky, Greg. “Amid Pandemic, Here's What Researchers Have Learned about the Economy.”

NPR, NPR, 20 Oct. 2020,

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2020/10/20/925476023/economics-lessons-from-

thepandemic.

Constanza,

You’ve laid some solid groundwork with this draft. You’ve explored a conversation about class from

multiple perspectives, illustrating an understanding of the complexity of your chosen issue. Your

analysis is primarily informative, exploratory, and invitational, and your organization guides the

reader through various perspectives on your issue. However, in most of your paper, you do not

synthesize (place into conversation) these sources by comparing and contrasting them. In a revision,

you’ll want to reconsider your approach; your main goal, with this assignment, should be to illustrate

to your reader how the stances of your chosen sources align or differ.

Here are some areas for you to consider revisiting, should you choose to revise:
- Purpose and Development: Though you make an attempt at synthesis in this draft, the ways that your sources engage or

connect with each other are often unclear. Recall that synthesizing sources was a major focus of this assignment. You might draw your

sources into conversation with one another by using “synthesis statements” (i.e. “Though Source A says X, Source B contends with /

expands on Y…” etc.) that overtly state for the reader the ways in which your sources agree, disagree, or expand on one another.
- Organization: See my marginal comments about organizing your body paragraphs by main idea, rather than by source.

Overall, good work on this first draft. Should you choose to revise, let me know if you have any questions about how to proceed.