From New York Times | Dec 14, 2009

By MICHAEL LUO and MEGAN THEE-BRENAN

More than half of the nation's unemployed
workers have borrowed money from friends or relatives since losing
their jobs. An equal number have cut back on doctor visits or medical
treatments because they are out of work.

Video Feature

The Jobless, in Their Own Words

Interactive Graphic

Unemployment's Emotional Toll

Interactive

Complete Poll Results

Related

How the Poll Was Conducted

(December 15, 2009)

For Many, Uncertainty, Fear and Shame Often Follow Pink Slips

(December 15, 2009)

Readers' Comments

"With
the job market being as dreadful as it is, perhaps this is an
opportunity for those of us unemployed to reinvent ourselves. "

Peter, Kenosha, WI

• Read Full Comment »

Almost half have suffered from depression or anxiety.
About 4 in 10 parents have noticed behavioral changes in their children
that they attribute to their difficulties in finding work.

Joblessness
has wreaked financial and emotional havoc on the lives of many of those
out of work, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll of unemployed
adults, causing major life changes, mental health issues and trouble maintaining even basic necessities.

The results of the poll, which surveyed 708 unemployed adults from Dec.
5 to Dec. 10 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four
percentage points, help to lay bare the depth of the trauma experienced
by millions across the country who are out of work as the jobless rate
hovers at 10 percent and, in particular, as the ranks of the long-term
unemployed soar.

Roughly half of the respondents described the recession
as a hardship that had caused fundamental changes in their lives.
Generally, those who have been out of work longer reported experiencing
more acute financial and emotional effects.

"I lost my job in
March, and from there on, everything went downhill," said Vicky Newton,
38, of Mount Pleasant, Mich., a single mother who had been a
customer-service representative in an insurance agency.

"After
struggling and struggling and not being able to pay my house payments
or my other bills, I finally sucked up my pride," she said in an
interview after the poll was conducted. "I got food stamps just to help
feed my daughter."

Over the summer, she abandoned her home in
Flint, Mich., after she started receiving foreclosure notices. She now
lives 90 minutes away, in a rental house owned by her father.

With
unemployment driving foreclosures nationwide, a quarter of those polled
said they had either lost their home or been threatened with
foreclosure or eviction for not paying their mortgage or rent. About a
quarter, like Ms. Newton, have received food stamps. More than half
said they had cut back on both luxuries and necessities in their
spending. Seven in 10 rated their family's financial situation as
fairly bad or very bad.

But the impact on their lives was not
limited to the difficulty in paying bills. Almost half said
unemployment had led to more conflicts or arguments with family members
and friends; 55 percent have suffered from insomnia.

"Everything
gets touched," said Colleen Klemm, 51, of North Lake, Wis., who lost
her job as a manager at a landscaping company last November. "All your
relationships are touched by it. You're never your normal
happy-go-lucky person. Your countenance, your self-esteem goes. You
think, ‘I'm not employable.' "

A quarter of those who experienced
anxiety or depression said they had gone to see a mental health
professional. Women were significantly more likely than men to
acknowledge emotional issues.

Tammy Linville, 29, of Louisville, Ky., said she lost her job as a clerical worker for the Census Bureau a year and a half ago. She began seeing a therapist for depression every week through Medicaid but recently has not been able to go because her car broke down and she cannot afford to fix it.

Her
partner works at the Ford plant in the area, but his schedule has been
sporadic. They have two small children and at this point, she said,
they are "saving quarters for diapers."

"Every time I think about money, I shut down because there is none," Ms. Linville said. "I get major panic attacks. I just don't know what we're going to do."

Nearly
half of the adults surveyed admitted to feeling embarrassed or ashamed
most of the time or sometimes as a result of being out of work. Perhaps
unsurprisingly, given the traditional image of men as breadwinners, men
were significantly more likely than women to report feeling ashamed
most of the time.

There was a pervasive sense from the poll
that the American dream had been upended for many. Nearly half of those
polled said they felt in danger of falling out of their social class,
with those out of work six months or more feeling especially
vulnerable. Working-class respondents felt at risk in the greatest
numbers.

Nearly half of respondents said they did not have health insurance,
with the vast majority citing job loss as a reason, a notable finding
given the tug of war in Congress over a health care overhaul. The poll
offered a glimpse of the potential ripple effect of having no coverage.
More than half characterized the cost of basic medical care as a
hardship.

Many in the ranks of the unemployed appear to be
rethinking their career and life choices. Just over 40 percent said
they had moved or considered moving to another part of the state or
country where there were more jobs. More than two-thirds of respondents
had considered changing their career or field, and 44 percent of those
surveyed had pursued job retraining or other educational opportunities.

Joe Whitlow, 31, of Nashville, worked as a mechanic until a
repair shop he was running with a friend finally petered out in August.
He had contemplated going back to school before, but the potential loss
in income always deterred him. Now he is enrolled at a local community
college, planning to study accounting.

"When everything went bad, not that I didn't have a choice, but it made the choice easier," Mr. Whitlow said.

The
poll also shed light on the formal and informal safety nets that the
jobless have relied upon. More than half said they were receiving or
had received unemployment benefits. But 61 percent of those receiving
benefits said the amount was not enough to cover basic necessities.

Meanwhile,
a fifth said they had received food from a nonprofit organization or
religious institution. Among those with a working spouse, half said
their spouse had taken on additional hours or another job to help make
ends meet.

Even those who have stayed employed have not escaped
the recession's bite. According to a New York Times/CBS News nationwide
poll conducted at the same time as the poll of unemployed adults, about
3 in 10 people said that in the past year, as a result of bad economic
conditions, their pay had been cut.

In terms of casting blame for the high unemployment rate, 26 percent of unemployed adults cited former President George W. Bush;
12 percent pointed the finger at banks; 8 percent highlighted jobs
going overseas and the same number blamed politicians. Only 3 percent
blamed President Obama.

Those
out of work were split, however, on the president's handling of job
creation, with 47 percent expressing approval and 44 percent
disapproval.

Unemployed Americans are divided over what the
future holds for the job market: 39 percent anticipate improvement, 36
percent expect it will stay the same, and 22 percent say it will get
worse.

Marina Stefan and Dalia Sussman contributed reporting.