in the United States, the link is not obvious

From racial abuse to social injustice towards African-Americans, there is a bond that would be quickly formed when more than 40 million Americans have lost their jobs since the crisis due to the epidemic of Covid-19.

"An underground stream of these protests: African-Americans are suffering more economically from this pandemic", title on Washington Post. Obviously, when their median annual income was 41,500 dollars in 2018, against 51,400 for Hispanics, 68,000 for whites and 87,000 dollars for Asians?

The reality is a little more complex. First, the recent dynamic was rather favorable for blacks, with unemployment at its lowest before the onset of the health crisis. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed, central bank), the percentage of African-American households that said they were financially comfortable had increased from 53% to 65% between 2013 and 2019 (compared to 65% to 79% for whites).

The first victims of the crisis due to the new coronavirus are a priori the Latinos: 20% of them declared that they had lost their job at the end of April, against 16% of the African-Americans and 11% of the Whites, according to an Ipsos survey carried out at the end of April – early May for Washinton Post Explanation, Latinos immediately lost their jobs in the hard hit sectors, which provide millions of jobs, where they are overrepresented, such as catering and construction.

The social safety net has been very powerful

If African-Americans have been hit by the closure of auto factories and job cuts in schools and health, they have been rather protected when they were in the public service, of which they represent 17.5% of the workforce, according to the Federal Ministry of Labor. Result, at the end of April, unemployment of blacks had jumped from 6.7% to 16.7% but had increased less than that of Latinos (6% to 18.9%) and even whites (4% to 14.2% ). The May figure will be known this week.

Second, the social safety net has been very powerful, with an individual tax check for $ 1,200 (plus $ 500 per child) as well as federal unemployment insurance of $ 2,400 per month, which will last until the end of July.

Counterintuitively, the average income of Americans jumped 10.5% in April due to massive federal transfers (if they are not taken into account, the decline is 6.1%, specifies the Commerce Department). May 29).

As they are unable to consume, the household savings rate soared from 12.7% in March to 33%. The ethnic distribution was not given, but the survey of Washington Post suggests that each group has benefited: 63% of blacks dismissed said they received their federal check against 47% for Hispanics and 67% of whites.

Many unemployed workers were unable to get their benefits due to endless queues and computer bugs, but 26% of redundant African-Americans say they received them, worse than whites (32%), better than Hispanics (21 %). The latter are very disadvantaged, because they are more often illegal (their total number is estimated at 7 million), and in this case are not entitled to the social safety net exceptionally set up.

Black people undoubtedly more affected by SARS-CoV-2

In fact, the immediate link between the riots and the black social crisis triggered by the Covid-19 is far from proven, as summed up by Jason Furman, a Harvard professor and former Barack Obama economic adviser. “In February again, the unemployment rate for African-Americans was at an all-time low. In addition, the government's response to the Covid crisis has most certainly led to an increase in disposable income. The economic disadvantage (from which African Americans suffer) is therefore part of the explanation for the riots, but it is unlikely that these are recent economic changes and certainly not racial disparities in recent economic changes. "

Recent developments have not erased the precariousness of African-Americans, who had particularly suffered from the real estate consequences of the great financial crisis of 2008 – they still own their homes today only 48%, compared to 71 % for whites. Their assets doubled between 1983 to 2016 to reach… six months' wages, or $ 17,600. At the same time, that of whites has gone from two to three years of income, or $ 171,000, reports the New York Times.

Finally, African-Americans were undoubtedly more affected by SARS-CoV-2, even if the federal figures are not compiled. In New York, they represent 28% of the deaths of Covid-19 for 22% of the population. The disparities are also extremely serious in certain Midwestern cities such as Milwaukee (Wisconsin): 70% of deaths for a quarter of the population. In April, a survey of the CDC, the American health organization, deplored that the Blacks represented a third of the hospitalized whereas they formed only 18% of the sampled population. According to an Ipsos survey of June 2, 28% of African Americans know someone who died from Covid-19 compared to 11% of whites.

In contact with potential patients

Logically, three-quarters of African-Americans believe that the pandemic strikes more people of color (31% of whites are of this opinion) and accuse 70% of the authorities of having a partial response vis-à-vis some ethnic groups.

The superinfection of African-Americans has precise explanations: they often do essential work, in contact with potential patients. They were less likely to benefit from sick leave, which would have encouraged them to rub shoulders, even when ill, with their colleagues and led to spreading the virus.

Blacks are twice as likely to have no medical insurance as whites (Hispanics are three times more), making them less likely to seek treatment. Above all, they live in often cramped housing, with three generations under the same roof, parents returning from work contaminating the grandparents.