The pandemic caused the entire United States to lockdown their economies in many ways for far too long. This has led to a crippling of the economy just to name of one the problems we have right now.
Most blue states shut down their economies much more so than politically left-leaning states, which did the best they could to keep businesses open.
With so many people not working, unemployment and stimulus checks went on the rise, while the number of taxpayers declined to a new modern low point. In 2020, an astonishing 61% of citizens did not pay a penny in taxes. 61% is over 107 million citizens who didn't pay taxes.
As mentioned, the pandemic played a major role in the shut down of the economy and taxpayers' earnings. Many saw a decline in pay and many more saw their career disappear over the course of the year. Even with many jobs available, the average citizen decided not to seek work.
The biggest reason for not working is that the federal government has gone totally overboard in providing benefits to many, even when a job can be found to work and earn money. Stimulus checks have also hurt the effort to get back to work. The federal government handed out stimulus checks three different times. These payments totaled $1,200, $600, and $1,400 per person.
But the fact that most Americans did not contribute to funding the general budget fund, which pays for the majority of government spending, affects the political support for government spending. Polls have found that, generally, the less money people pay in taxes, the more likely they are to support government spending programs.
The Pew Research Center found that 60% of families who made less than $30,000 a year favor a bigger government with more spending; while 62% of families making more than $75,000 a year favor a smaller government with less spending.
Sources:
Daily Wire