This cross-sectional study examined the association between job loss during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the Japanese working population and whether universal financial support program has a protective influence on the HRQOL. Two self-reported internet surveys were used to determine job loss during the pandemic: one was conducted between February and March 2020, just before the COVID-19 emergency declaration by the Japanese government (April 2020), and the other was conducted between August and September 2020. For the dependent variable, we used the EQ-5D-5L utility score (QOL utility score), which was assessed between August and September 2020. The independent variables were job loss after the state of emergency was declared and two types of government financial support (either universal support or support targeting child-raising households). The Tobit regression model was applied, adjusting for covariates. Job loss during the pandemic was negatively associated with the QOL utility score in the fully adjusted model; the coefficient (95% confidence interval [CI]) for job loss during the pandemic was −0.07 (−0.11 to −0.03). For the government financial support variables, the universal financial support program was associated with a better QOL utility score of the coefficient (95% CI), 0.05 (0.03 to 0.08). Job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic is negatively associated with HRQOL, while universal financial support is positively associated with HRQOL. Our study results imply that universal financial support during the COVID-19 era has a protective influence on an individual’s HRQOL.

这项横断面研究检查了日本工作人口在 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行期间失业与健康相关生活质量 (HRQOL) 之间的关系，以及全民财政支持计划是否对 HRQOL 具有保护性影响. 两项自我报告的互联网调查用于确定大流行期间的失业情况：一项是在日本政府宣布 COVID-19 紧急状态之前（2020 年 4 月）在 2020 年 2 月至 2020 年 3 月之间进行的，另一项是在 8 月至 2020 年 4 月之间进行的。 2020 年 9 月。对于因变量，我们使用了 2020 年 8 月至 2020 年 9 月期间评估的 EQ-5D-5L 效用得分（QOL 效用得分）。自变量是宣布紧急状态后的失业和两种政府财政支持（普遍支持或针对育儿家庭的支持）。应用 Tobit 回归模型，调整协变量。在完全调整的模型中，大流行期间的失业与 QOL 效用得分呈负相关；大流行期间失业的系数（95% 置信区间 [CI]）为 -0.07（-0.11 至 -0.03）。对于政府财政支持变量，普遍财政支持计划与更好的 QOL 效用系数（95% CI）相关，为 0.05（0.03 至 0.08）。COVID-19 大流行期间的失业与 HRQOL 呈负相关，而普遍的财政支持与 HRQOL 呈正相关。