Poll: Big shift in asking government to "lend me a hand" amid pandemic, unrest

The poll asks voters to choose one of two messages to send to the federal government right now — “lend me a hand” or “leave me alone.” A majority of 57 percent says they would ask Washington to “lend me a hand.”

Last year, just 34 percent asked for a hand-up (February 2019). The previous high was 44 percent in 2011, after the financial crisis.

At the same time, the number saying they would tell the government to “leave me alone” dropped 19 points, from 55 percent to 36 percent.