Amid all the anxiety and uncertainty of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a majority of Americans do at least seem sure of one thing: they want Medicare For All.

According to a new poll released this week by Morning Consult, popular support for a single-payer program (M4A) has tied for a record high in the history of the firm’s own research – commanding a solid 55 percent support among all registered voters. Representing a nine-point jump since February, the surge has been driven in large part by independents, a majority of whom support M4A for the first time since June 2019.

The causes of this shift are not hard to identify given the scope of the current crisis and the strain it has visibly placed on America’s already ramshackle and largely profit-driven health care system. With unemployment set to reach record highs in the coming months (almost 10 million Americans filed for unemployment in the last two weeks alone) an already underinsured and vulnerable population is probably wondering about the rationality and viability of a model that ties health care so intimately to employment. As Morning Consult’s Yusra Murad was quick to note: